Abyssal Diaries
by MortalitasBorealis
Summary: A scientist down on his luck is invited to work as a researcher for the Abyssal Fleet. These are the journals recording his struggles to protect both himself and some unexpected new friends amidst hostile Abyssals and Fleet Girls alike, dark secrets, and bizarre co-workers.
1. Chapter 1 - First day on the job

**Author's Note – This story is the result of an expanded idea from some originally oneshot images I decided to draw. Not everything follows the official KanColle canon setting. If the series gets popular enough I might draw some illustrations for the story as well.**

**As this shall be my first written fiction, reviews are extremely welcome and appreciated. Now, let us begin!**

**20/7 Edit: Added extra info to notes section that I forgot to clarify.**

* * *

Log Entry 1 – 2/4/20XX, Monday

This has been the first day since I've arrived at the Ironbottom Sound Naval Base and Research Centre. Things have been pretty chaotic already, and no doubt it's only going to get worse, so I'm doing as Marquis suggested and keeping a personal log to help keep track of everything. Not sure what the official policy on this is considering our operations are supposed to be hush and hush, but I'm keeping this to myself only anyway so no one besides Marquis and I should even know of these logs in the first place. Plus, if ever something were to happen to me and someone finds this logbook off my body at least my story may be passed on.

Even now as I sit in my new dorm writing this it's hard to believe I took the job in the first place. Sure I was out of a job for over a year, wife left with the kids for some wanker with a condo, at the rate things were going I wouldn't even be able to afford the rent in another month. But desperate enough to be working for the Abyssal Fleet? I used to consider myself a man of morals above the lures of fame and fortune, but it's funny how priorities change after you've just lost everything around you. Still, I might not have took the call seriously if Marquis wasn't the one on the other end. That man's always found himself in strange company for as long as I've met him, figured what's there left to lose in humoring him again? Sure beats sleeping on the streets.

Damn, I'm even more exhausted than I thought. I'll just get some shuteye now and continue this tomorrow, got a long day ahead of me.

* * *

Log Entry 2 – 7/4/20XX, Saturday

It's already the end of the week as I write this entry. Between familiarizing myself with my new workplace and catching up to the existing research info on the Abyssals and Fleet Girls, there wasn't really any time to write another log.

I suppose I should continue where I left off last time. Damn it felt like so long ago when I only started work for a week, that first day.

* * *

There were only two other blokes waiting with me at the harbor that night, some black-haired oriental girl who looked fresh out of high school, and some old muscled guy wearing a tattered admiral uniform. The little lady looked way too excited about going to work with hostile aliens, all fidgety and whatnot, looking at her watch every few seconds and grinning all the way as if she won a free trip to some tropical paradise and the plane was arriving; the old man was the complete opposite, just standing there at parade rest staring out into the dark ocean, one could mistake him for a statue if it wasn't for his coat and beard flowing in the ocean breeze. Meanwhile I'm just standing there shivering, from the cold or from the nervousness I don't know. I've seen what they were capable of, and the very thought of living so close to an entire armada of them set off all my danger senses. Still, the promise of adventure was quite enticing after rotting in an apartment for over a year sending resumes and surfing the internets, it almost gave me a sense of anticipation really. Almost.

It was about 2 am. Just when I started suspecting this was all some elaborate prank from Marquis and the long costly bus ride out here was for nothing, the submarine (non-living variety) surfaced from the murky waters. A sub trip in the dead of night, if that doesn't scream "THIS IS SOME REAL SHADY BUSINESS WE GOT HERE" I don't know what does. The hatch opened and we stood there for a bit, waiting. When it became clear no one was coming out to greet us, the girl just shrugged and hopped right in, followed by the old guy who finally moved to climb aboard. Welp, it's now or never, I thought as I climbed on and into the sub, but not before taking one last glance at the outside world before shutting the hatch behind me, wondering if I'll survive my 10 year contract.

Mere seconds after I closed the hatch the sub went under and began its journey back. Turns out the sub was completely automated, there was no crew, no people at all besides the three of us. Shows how much they care about our safety I suppose. We sat there on the metal benches within the single chamber of the sub in awkward silence…at least, awkward for me. The girl was still giddy as ever, either walking around the small chamber or poking at her phone; old man was just as calm as before, sitting there arms crossed opposite me. Our eyes never met, but I could clearly feel his silent judging. I wonder what he thought of me…probably "a spineless wanker who won't survive a month", heh. A few times I considered breaking the ice with them, but ultimately decided against it; one seemed like a man of few words, the other barely seems to notice I exist, and I was never quite the social butterfly anyway, so reading novels it was for the length of the trip.

* * *

Several hours passed without a single word spoken. Eventually, we heard the sound of the sub surfacing; just as Iorek and Iofur were finally about to duel too, go figure. Soon the hatch opened and we quickly climbed out to the early morning sky, in the same order we boarded with. The first thing I did was take a breath of fresh air; after being cooped in that stagnant little chamber for hours, the caress of the salty sea breeze was incredibly refreshing. Couple that with the soft sound of waves crashing against the beach and the cries of seabirds as they flew through the clear blue heavens, I almost forgot we were in alien territory and not on vacation for a second. A little beach on the south-east end of Savo Island was where we were at, with a small path leading inland to our destination. There were fresh tire tracks on the road, though we didn't have the privilege of another free ride.

Out of the blue the girl spoke, "Hey, race ya guys there! Oh and don't go off the path looking for shortcuts, wouldn't want to run into the security systems would ya?", and ran off laughing down the path; I swear that brat was leering at me specifically when she warned us. Meanwhile the old mute simply shook his head and strolled off after her, completely ignoring her challenge. I just tagged along after him, not in the mood for games. Once again I attempted conversing with him on our way to the base, but each attempt was met with nothing more than glances of disapproval. Did I really look like such a useless mongrel to them?

After about a half hour of walking we finally made it to the building, which looked less like an alien military and science facility and more like some millionaires island getaway. Which it was actually, it's legally owned by some fat cat, who's no doubt also financing part of this whole operation. It was of course much more than just a vacation home. The mansion was nothing more than the living quarters for the human staff and a disguise for the real base that lay underground and underwater. Even if the island was being observed somehow, we'd seem like nothing more than residents and visitors; a completely abandoned island would actually be far more suspicious and easier to investigate. Hiding in plain sight, I think they call this. Either way, it's a bloody mansion that we get to live in for FREE, so I ain't complaining.

The kid was waiting at the door, pouting. "Geez, you knuckleheads didn't even freaking try! What, would a little running kill ya?" I rolled my eyes and the old bloke walked right past her and hit the doorbell. The speaker underneath sparked to life: "Name, purpose?"

"Sakuri Smith, Charles invited me over to play some Zombie EVISCERATE!"

"Anton Kaiser, I came to see Abigail."

I cleared my throat and followed suit. "Harrison Wright, Mr. Kennedy requested my arrival. I even brought his favorite chocolate CHARLOTTE as a gift."

"Understood. Master Kennedy will be waiting for you in the guest room to the right. Welcome and enjoy your stay." With that the doors swung open. I felt Anton glance at me again as we passed through the doorway, not with disdain for once surprisingly, though I couldn't tell what it was instead.

The place looked as grandeur as I would imagine; golden chandeliers, gaudy-looking paintings, statues and exotic pottery, French maids in frilly dresses dusting stuff. The only thing that looked off was how pale the maids looked, though I figured it was probably just the lighting. We found the door to the guest room locked…and I could hear strange noises on the other end. Sakuri wasted no time knocking (or should I say pounding) on the door.

"Just a second, friends!" came from within the room. As we waited, the brat chuckled. "Abigail? Charlotte? Your code words were freakin' obvious y'know that?" She whispered just loud enough for us to hear. "You don't get to say that, Miss Eviscerate." I returned. "Shaddup, it could've easily been Zombie or Charles!" Anton just shook his head once again.

After definitely more than a second, the doors finally opened. Mr. Kennedy was waiting there on the posh silk sofa, another maid standing beside him. "Welcome, friends! Please, do take a seat. Our servants will provide you all with refreshments and show you around the premises, but in the meantime, let's get down to business."

We went over the basics there, nothing unexpected really. I was to be working with the other researchers on the site, though the actual contents of the project he didn't know. Sakuri's part of the engineering department (it appears she's smarter than she lets on), and Anton's the replacement admiral for Division 5, as the previous commander…disappeared due to mysterious circumstances. Nothing really stood out except for one thing: We were to never enter the 3 lowest floors.

After the briefing we received our ID cards, the maids served us the best bloody tarts I've ever tasted and we went on a tour of the mansion while sipping fruit punch. It turns out the entrance to the real facilities was the elevator, which required a special combination of key pressings (In case I ever forget, it's 5324514). After the maid pushed in the code, the lift started going down. A long way down, far beneath the surface of the Earth, took a full 3 minutes before it finally stopped, after which we had to take an underground tram ride back out into the ocean. Finally we had made it to the Abyssal military and research facility, one of the few bases of the aliens' operations around the planet, and it was….underwhelming, to say the least.

Besides the reinforced titanium walls and slightly futuristic-looking lights and doors, it looked like any other naval base. Though to be honest I'm not even sure what I expected. Some hive of evil made entirely out of that black alloy the Abyssal Destroyers are made of perhaps? Sakuri looked even more let down. Maybe this job won't be as crazy as I anticipated, I thought. It turned out we were in for a little more excitement during the tour than I first expected though.

* * *

As we walked towards the laboratories to drop me off, three Abyssals suddenly ambushed us from around a corner and blocked our way, two light carrier Nu-Classes and a Battleship Ta-Class in the middle. Three more He-Class Light Cruisers appeared behind us, trapping us in the hallway. All of them were fully armed too, I didn't have to be a genius to figure out what they wanted. Our maid guide yelled something at them in some weird language (it was at this point I realized all the maids were in fact Abyssals), to which the Ta-Class replied with something before she started glaring at the three of us.

"Well well, if it isn't the new meatbags?" She stood there arms crossed, head tilted to one side. Sakuri's leer made me want to pinch and pull at her cheek, but this punter's smug smile and voice made me want to stick a fist down her throat. "I don't know how feverish the others had to be to think hiring HUMANS to help would be a good idea, much less human ADMIRALS to command us, but the rest of us know better. We don't need you worthless scum to fight against those copycat Fleet Girls, the Princesses will deal with that! You're all only worthy to be fuel for their Demons!"

She blabbed more stuff about how they would make the other humans "know their place" by making an example out of us, but I was too busy formulating an escape plan to pay much attention. The He-Classes were obviously weaker targets compared to the three in front; looking at the way they moved it was clear they had slow reflexes, not to mention the Nu-Classes had no way to directly attack us except sending out their plane droids. If we turned around and rushed the Hes at the same time we may be able to gain an element of surprise. Anton looked physically able to take one down even without weapons, and I had my pocket knife, while Sakuri could probably just outrun everyone as soon as we take down part of the blockade. From there we can use the Hes as shields against Ta's cannons while we race back to the tram. Considering the tight spaces of the corridors, the Nus' planes should be easy to defend against as well.

Yet just as I was about to get the other two's attention, I instead heard a whisper: "Permission to kill?" "Maim." Replied our guide with a sigh. The cocky Ta was still waving her finger around in the air while lecturing about being the master race when two holes were blasted out of the Nus' thighs. Before either I or the Abyssals could understand what happened, Anton had already turned around and smashed the three Hes into the wall with a single punch. The flabbergasted Ta could only stand there with her mouth agape like some dumb wanker, clothes stained with the dark blue blood of her pals, a finger still held in the air as she stared into the smoking barrels of the two revolvers Sakuri was aiming straight at her eyes with. I couldn't exactly blame her neither, I probably had much the same expression on my face.

"Not so tough now, ARE ya chucklenuts?"

Bang.

* * *

Our guide called in some more Nu-Classes (non-crazy ones, thankfully) to carry the knocked out Abyssals to the docks. Thankfully for everyone our little gunslinger shot the Ta's legs instead of her head. Considering what they did to the Nus' thighs, I'd probably have nightmares for weeks if she took the headshot. Strangely it did do a lot less damage to the Ta in comparison despite both shots hitting what appeared to be flesh, she probably passed out from shock more than actual injury.

By then I had recovered from the surprise and we continued on without further incident. Our guide grumbled about how she had to fill in another report for this incident while Anton walked on as if nothing out of the ordinary happened at all. Sakuri just giddily simulated the "fight" to herself with finger guns repeatedly. Not another word was spoken between the four of us until we arrived at the science labs, where Marquis was waiting for me.

"The hell was that ruckus outside? Them crazy ladies causing trouble again brother?" He asked as we walked into the labs after the other three moved on. "If by trouble you mean getting their posteriors served back to them on a diamond encrusted platter before they were even done ordering, then yes."

I explained what just happened to him. He just laughed as if this happened every other day. "Well what did you expect brother? A warm welcoming with open arms? Well I do know a few Abyssal sisters here who are quite fond of us humans actually, but that don't mean there aren't any who'd like to rip yo balls off first chance they get! I mean, how would you feel if you were trying to move into some new house and the place was filled with rats who start tryin' ta give you orders? Won't matter if the real estate dude asks you nicely to get along with'em, will it? You'd still try to smash the little pests!"

"Quite frankly if rats were intelligent enough to communicate with us or if I could speak rat I would try to live with them in peace." He laughed some more. "Would you now? Still ever the pacifist eh, Harry!" I sidestepped before he could start clapping on my back again. "Oops, sorry brother, old habits die hard!" "It's fine, I know you mean well." I tried my best to hide my cringe from remembering when he did hit last time. Ouch.

He proceeded to introduce me to the rest of the research team, which consisted of 6 people total, including Marquis and I: Tall, blue-haired Victoria; her shy little brother Rick; well-mannered Noel; and the ever cheerful Trales. They all seemed like nice people, but if Sakuri and Anton were anything to go by I should be wary around them just in case. Looking back now I should have expected all this; regardless of any truce ordered by whoever commands the Abyssal Fleet, we're still amidst an army of alien cyborgs supposedly trying to take over the planet. One would require some…particular sets of skills in order to survive in a place like this.

The rest of the day went by without further incidents. We were to research new ship classes for the Abyssals to use against the Fleet Girls for now, though I needed to catch up to all the research info we currently had of both sides first. I'll be attaching the notes I've taken so far at the end of this log.

* * *

At last the day was at its end. Mentally exhausted, I returned to the mansion a little earlier than everyone else for a good night's rest. A package was waiting for me outside my new bedroom's door though.

"A little gift I prepared. You'll know how to use this. Welcome to the party brother!" read the note attached. A strange tool lay under the wrappings, looking like something right out of the Abyssal's arsenal. It took me a minute to realize it was a modified sledgehammer. Bloody hell, Marquis, just because I used a sledge that ONE time…still, it's undeniably better than the little knife I had. With a sigh I placed it by my drawer and nearly passed out on the bed right afterwards to a night of fitful slumber. Who knows when I'll need to use that gift.

* * *

Since that day I've spent the rest of the week studying up. Reminds me of my simpler days back in college really. Things have been going smoothly so far, and it looks like our little scuffle with Ta-Class and friends had quite the opposite effect from what she aimed for; the few Abyssals we encountered these days avert their eyes and were awfully polite about everything; even the grunts that can't talk salute and scurry away as soon as we pass by. However I just can't shake the feeling something big's going to happen soon, for better or worse. All the more reason to rest up now while I still can.

* * *

Research Notes

_History of Abyssals and Fleet Girls_

The Abyssals first showed up 5 years ago; sightings of large mechanical beasts with obsidian-like armor attacking ships grew more and more rampant over the course of months. Soon military from around the world attempted to combat the creatures, but nothing they had was effective; it's not that our weapons didn't do any harm, the beasts were resistant but by no means invulnerable; problem was that every time enough damage was dealt to sink one, it would resurface again within minutes completely repaired. Humanity's armies were pushed back without a means of taking down the beasts for good, until even coastal cities began to be assaulted.

Then the Faeries showed up, tiny humanoids only about a few cm tall. They called themselves aliens who were fighting the Abyssal creatures in some kind of interstellar war and offered to help us. Running out of options, the militaries were forced to trust the strange beings.

It turned out that only the Abyssal's own weapons could deal lasting damage to them, but only an Abyssal can control the weapons in the first place. However, using the nanobots provided by the faeries, it was possible to genetically rebuild certain humans (but only females) into half-Abyssals capable of controlling Abyssal technology. Thus the first Fleet Girls were created.

For a time the FGs successfully pushed the Abyssals back, but casualties were inevitable. Soon after the first few FGs were sunk in combat, sightings of humanoid Abyssals sprung up, ones far stronger than the regular beastly ones. It was later discovered that after death, the nanobots within the FGs take over, converting and reanimating them into full Abyssals. Possible cures for this "Abyssimilation" are still being researched.

_Abyssal/FG Biology_

For starters, all Abyssals can emit a special EM field capable of disrupting most human telecommunications and tracking technology; the stronger the Abyssal, the longer the range. It's like creating pocket Bermuda Triangles. The FGs navigate through the strong EM fields in Abyssal territories using special compasses created by the Faeries, though even that's not very reliable as it tracks the nearest Abyssal instead of pointing at a designated direction and has a short effective range. The FGs themselves can emit the field as well, though to a much weaker degree.

Unlike true Abyssals, FGs are still vulnerable to regular weaponry due to their half-blood nature. However, their bodies are still significantly more resilient than humans, ranging from being slightly tougher (Destroyers) to stronger than tanks (Battleships). Abyssals are even more resilient, and on top of that can quickly self-regenerate any damage from normal weapons. It seems the nanobots inside their bodies are responsible for their resistance and regeneration, though I feel the bots alone don't explain how tough some of the FGs and Abyssals can get. Both are significantly less resistant to Abyss tech, due to special properties within the Abyss Alloy used to make these weapons that seem to inhibit the nanobots' functions.

While Abyssals can't quickly regenerate from damage from the Abyss tech FGs use, it's still possible to heal them by submerging the wounds in concentrated nanobot paste, even if said Abyssal has taken lethal damage, long as there's enough of the body left. There are even submarine teams dedicated to salvaging as many sunk Abyssals as they can. FGs use the same method to heal wounds after sorties, though unlike Abyssals, lethal wounds are, well, lethal, and will result in Abyssimilation no matter what.

Both FGs and Abyssals no longer eat human food. Well they CAN, but it won't give them much energy. Instead, they seem to eat various metals, minerals and fuel instead.

Both FGs and Abyssals have the ability to glide on water surfaces, much like ice skating. Unlike FGs however, Abyssals can breathe underwater.

While a rare occurrence, Abyssals with "auras" during combat have been observed before. These Auraed (or "Elite") Abyssals are significantly stronger than their regular counterparts, and also appear to be more intelligent. It's still unknown what creates the aura, though it's theorized to have something to do with both combat experience and extreme emotional responses, hence why it's more commonly seen amongst FG Abyssals that are smarter and experience more emotions than creature Abyssals. Even those who have learned to freely reactivate the aura don't seem to truly understand how they're doing it.

_Abyssal Technology_

Abyss Tech namely refers to weapons made out of Abyss Alloy. While simple melee weapons such as blades and hammers can be wielded even by the average joe, more advanced armaments such as cannons and torpedoes can only be controlled by Abyssals or FGs. They simply don't trigger when a human uses them.

This actually begs the question, how did Sakuri use HER guns? They were clearly Abyss Tech, but she's not an FG…is she? I should remember to ask her at some point.

_Abyssal Types_

**Destroyers**: The most basic Abyssals. Fish-like monstrosities completely armored in that black alloy commonly used by all Abyssals. They're about the size of sailboats. Seems to be barely sentient beasts. The process to creating them isn't quite clear even to the Engineering team. All they know is they make regular ship components, hand them over to the Abyssals, and the components are converted and combined into living Abyssal Destroyers somewhere else, unlike with equipment which the team directly makes with the black Abyssal Alloy. There are 4 types of Destroyers, differing slightly by appearance and armaments: I, Ro, Ha, Ni.

**Light Cruisers**: Vaguely humanoid abominations. It's speculated they are the results of regular human corpses being crudely Abyssimilated. Incapable of speech both in our language and the aliens', though they seem to at least understand orders in the aliens' language. They have intelligence approximately equal to cavemen. 3 types: Ho, He, To. Or as I like to call them: Crawlers, Masks, Dinos.

**Light Aircraft Carriers**: About the same as LCs, though these also function as hives for Abyssal Planes, which resemble hand-sized droids with guns. The planes themselves seem to be alive and can move independently of a Carrier's control. I myself have seen a few of them fly around the base on their own like birds. Only the Nus belong to this category. They're often used as laborers due to their muscles, while the planes act as messengers.

**Transport Ships**: The Wa-Class. Strange and rather disturbing appearance, they act as living transport vessels for goods such as materials and sometimes salvaged Abyssals. Despite being vaguely humanoid like the LCs, the Was seem to be barely sentient.

**Torpedo Cruisers**: The Chi-Class, the weakest FG Abyssal type. In a way they resemble less mutated versions of Hes, considering they both have non-detachable masks, though Chis' are smaller, just covering the eyes. The larger cannon arm of the Hes became detachable aquatic "motorbikes" for the Chis. The bikes themselves are also alive, much like the planes, and seem capable of telepathic communication with the Chis. The Chis themselves have limited speech ability, though other than that they're as intelligent as the average school kid. Their naivety and curiosity are quite charming really when you get to know one.

**Heavy Cruisers**: The Ri-Class. If it wasn't for the cords attached to her back she'd probably pass as human. Well, that and the pale skin and glowing eyes. The cords can attach to arm cannons to power them. They're quite fluent speakers with intelligence that of the average teen, though they seem to be emotionally paralyzed. They even speak in monotone.

**Submarines**: Not quite as human as the other FG Abyssals, but not quite as monstrous as the LCs. While all Abyssals can breathe and move freely underwater, the subs are most adept at underwater stealth and speed, unlike other ship types that are more mobile on the surface. There are 3 classes of submarine: Ka, Yo, So.

**Standard Aircraft Carriers**: The Wo-Class. They look completely humanoid (and quite pretty actually), besides a monstrous jellyfish-like hat that they wear, which acts as a hive for the planes. They can take the hat off though, and can also "switch off" the glow in their eyes, after which one could barely tell her apart from a regular human…once again besides the skin. Much like Ris' motorbikes, the hats appear to be individually alive and can talk telepathically with the Wos. Perfect speech ability and adult human intelligence, though they seem to have a habit of referring to themselves in third person and have a low emotional range.

**Battleships**: The highest class of natural Abyssals besides the Demons and Princesses. Completely humanoid with incredible strength and durability even without their armaments. As displayed when Sakuri attacked during the incident, damage capable of completely ripping apart a Nu's flesh only gave the Ta a shallow bullet wound. The Battleships seem to differ greatly in personality between individuals, likely a result from their higher intelligence and emotional range. There are two classes of Battleships, the black-haired Ru and the white-haired Ta.

**Demons and Princesses**: The echelon of the Abyssal hierarchy, they are treated as royalty by the other Abyssals. Unlike the other Abyssals, each Demon and Princess is one-of-a-kind. The Demons are monstrous creatures of varying size and appearance, while the Princesses are humanoids similar to the Battleships. Each Princess controls a respective Demon; they can attach together into one entity, or separate and fight on their own. While with the Demons what you see is what you get when it comes to their power, the Princesses, much more so than even the Battleships, are inhumanly powerful despite their slender human bodies. It's still unknown to us how they're created; the other Abyssals probably know, but they're not telling. Interestingly, it seems even the Princesses answer to some higher authority, though who or what that is we have no idea. We currently have 7 sets of Demons and Princesses.

_Aviation Battleship Re-Class_

This was the most recently completed and most dangerous project by the research team here. The Re-Class, created using advanced genetic modification on recently sunk FGs still in the process of Abyssimilation, coupled with new equipment made by the engineering department. The result was a tailed FG Abyssal with power rivaling even the Demons and Princesses. Only 3 have been created so far, 2 of which have been sent to the other Abyssal bases around the globe, so we only have 1 right now.

Re's tail is a symbiotic creature similar to Wo's hive hat and Chi's motorbike, with the difference that the tail is biologically connected to Re and cannot be detached. Far stronger in terms of strength, speed and stamina than even the Battleships, combined with the high-end weaponry installed into her tail, she has all the power of a Demon or Princess with far more mobility. The backpack she carries around also acts as a container for the new Flying-Fish Dive Bomber planes created by the Engineering team, which are smaller yet more powerful than the regular planes, at the cost of being non-living machinery that must be controlled psychically by Re herself, though that also means a huge number can be packed together in tight spaces unlike regular Abyss planes.

From what I've seen from the Re we have (the science team nick-named her Recette), she seems to behave like a playful child around the base. Despite being very friendly and generally adorable, recorded footage from her first sortie against an FG patrol team reminded me of Sakuri all over again, except 10 times worse. Throughout the fight she displayed intelligence and ruthlessness far beyond her normal behavior, mercilessly and gleefully sinking 3 of the 6 members of the patrol team while nigh crippling everyone else all by herself. I could never quite enjoy her lab visits as much ever since watching that.


	2. Chapter 2 - New specimens

Log Entry 3 – 28/4/20XX, Saturday

Surprisingly, nothing much worthy of recording has occurred for the past few weeks.

The Abyssals have been behaving themselves for the most part, worst I've gotten was a death glare from Tannah (that troublemaking Ta-Class from day 1) when we passed each other the other day. At least, I'm pretty sure that was her, considering the seashell hairpin. It's quite hard to tell most of the Abyssals apart. Unlike the Fleet Girls who look very distinct even amongst "sister ships" modeled after the same ship class, all Abyssals (even FG ones) naturally look the same within their own class due to the automated Abyssimilation process. It's practically impossible to tell low-class Abyssals apart without checking closely (much like wild animals). FG Abyssals at least often differ slightly by hairstyle, and the higher-class ones like the Battleships tend to dress themselves up. The vainest I've seen was a Ru-Class who dyed her hair streaks of blue and walked around in a Metallica t-shirt, heard she even got in trouble once for spray-painting her gear.

Research has not been going quite as well unfortunately. Despite the creation of Re-Class, there's only so much we can modify once Abyssimilation has begun. Considering the Abyssals aren't trusting us with the info required for producing Demons and Princesses, at this stage we required live Fleet Girl specimens for experimenting, and we weren't getting much headway with that. Killing the FGs is one thing, but capturing one alive is a whole other matter. As Recette puts it, "They break too easy!". In an attempt to help Re control her strength we equipped her with some less state-of-the-art gear yesterday for her patrol. Expectations are low, but no one can say we didn't try.

Still, life's good right now. I'm finally putting my college years to use, living conditions have never been better, and I've met more interesting people during this month than I have in the past 20 years. Sure sometimes I remember that I'm helping aliens kill people while I'm stargazing on the moonlit beaches, or that I'll most likely be backstabbed by them while enjoying delicious cream pasta and a glass of fine wine, but what else IS there to do? More accurately, what BETTER option is there?

* * *

Log Entry 4 – 29/4/20XX, Sunday

We were slacking off in the lab again when a plane droid flew in. Victoria, the only one actually doing any work, snatched it out of the air without looking away from the monitors and took the note off its back.

"'Come on down by the port, Re hauled in something for y'all.'" She lazily imitated in a bad Texan accent. "Well considering it's almost lunch time and I've been the only productive one around here today, I elect Harry as our official errand monkey *cough* I mean REPRESENTATIVE for the day while the rest of us go eat."

"What?! Why me? Everyone else is slacking just as much!" I objected as I looked up from my novel.

"I also vote Harry as our erran- uhh, representative!" said Marquis as he took another gulp of beer while leaning back on his chair staring at the ceiling.

"I concur." agreed Noel while sipping tea and reading the newspapers.

"Harry the errand monkey!" Trales cheered while mashing buttons on her PSP.

Rick was the only one who didn't agree…for he was too busy snoring.

"That's 4 votes yes and one maybe. The people have spoken, off you go then Harry." With that she just waved me off as she slung her unconscious sibling over her shoulder and walked out, followed by everyone else. I sighed and headed for the port, hoping that backstabber Marquis would keep to his parting promise and save me something for later.

* * *

I've been there a few times before, but the massive port two floors beneath was still a sight to behold; the rows of Destroyers held up by heavy machinery for maintenance, various Abyssals merrily chatting away while loading or unloading their gear, dozens of planes flying through the air for whatever tasks they were given or simply enjoying a free flight; quite the lively place it was despite all the returned wounded that pass by limping or being carried on stretchers to the repair docks.

It took me a while to spot Recette by the Transport Ship bay with some of the engineers. Unexpectedly, one of the Princesses were with them. Re waved me over with a big grin on her face as soon as she saw me. As I watched her jumping up and down like an excited kid, calling for me as loudly as she could over the noise from across the port, an old memory crossed my mind; one of my own daughters, doing the exact same thing in the park as they tried to call me over for a game of hide and seek with them, years ago before…I shook my head and focused back on reality. It's in the past, Harrison, and there's nothing you can do about it anymore. What matters is the here and the now.

"So you're one of the scientists we've been hearing about who made little Recette here, Mr. Harrison?" Patricia (or the Anchorage Princess as they call her on land) asked while ruffling Re's hair. She's the second youngest of the Princesses we have here, and the most active, frequenting both the training areas and the repair docks. Bizarrely most of her injuries come from mishaps during training than actual sorties; no one really knows how she keeps getting serious burns all over herself every other time, she just does.

"Admittedly I arrived soon after she was finished, so not quite."

"Oh well, it couldn't be helped. She speaks very highly of you regardless though, said you were like a father to her even!"

Re's face went red with embarrassment and looked away; thought I almost saw smoke coming out of her ears. I shook my head once more, for multiple reasons. "I'm glad to hear that, but I can't take all the credit, it was a team effort from everyone after all."

Patricia chuckled, "A team effort you say? I suppose it would take that to handle such an energetic child! Ahh, if only all my sisters were this adorable~"

"Sorry to interrupt fellas, but if y'all are done trying to overheat the poor kid there," Jackson motioned at Recette, who literally did have smoke coming out of her ears then as the Princess had picked her up and was cuddling her like a plushie, "maybe it's time to get back on topic." He motioned at the Wa-Class next to us. Jackson was the head engineer, a laid back Texas man. Only seen him once before, when the engies were demonstrating Re's custom dive bomber planes. Like any other staff here of course he's no simple man, the crafty mind of a genius inventor hides behind his relaxed demeanor.

Reminded of what I lost my lunch for, the two of us walked over to the Wa's side, leaving Re to Patricia's mercy for a little while longer.

"So, what did she bring back this time? I hope it's not more body parts."

"See for yerself, son."

I peeked in as soon as he opened the Wa's spherical container of a lower body; even though I already figured what it'd be, seeing it for real still felt more disturbing than expected.

4 heavily wounded Fleet Girls lay within, their shredded sailor clothes covered in blood. Only their shallow breathing gave any hint of life remaining.

"Akatsuki Class Destroyers. Probably no older than 14 'fore they got rustled up by them navy sonsovbitches." Jackson shook his head in disgust.

"And now they've been maimed and dragged here as research specimens. Such is life." I shook my head too. The military's long been desperate for suitable candidates to build into Fleet Girls, but doing it to ones the age of schoolchildren is just…

"Well, too late for the kids now. Y'all do what you gotta do son. On the sunny side, maybe one day they can get some good ole' vengeance on them cowards hiding in their offices while sending kids to the slaughterhouse."

At a loss for words, I simply stayed quiet until the sounds of rattling metal and creaking wheels broke the silence. "Yo, Harry! Nice catch from Re huh?" It was Sakuri, pushing a large metal cage on wheels. By then Recette had broken loose from Patricia and was staring up at me expectantly. With a soft sigh I forced a smile onto my face and gave the pale girl a pat on the head. "You did good Recette, I'm proud of you. We all are." She blushed again, a softer, happier shade this time, and wrapped her arms around my waist to give me a hug.

Under any other circumstances, the vicious mauling of schoolchildren (regardless whether said children had cannons and torpedoes) would be an atrocity to me, but as I looked down at Re's content grin and wagging tail, I found it impossible to even get mad at her. Deep down inside, she was just another innocent person who got dragged into this whole mess of a war, only to get murdered then resurrected as one of the monsters she was forced to fight, and now have to hunt or be hunted by her former comrades for the rest of her days, or at least the war, whichever ends first. In a way, I would even call her newfound psychopathy a blessing; at least she won't be burdened by remorse.

"YAY, GROUP HUG!" My brief moment of sentimentality was violently interrupted as Patricia tackled us, sending the three of us crashing into the ice cold seawater. Amidst the chaos I managed to evade the Princess and climb back on shore while poor Re was stuck in another tight embrace. The passing Abyssals were all entranced by the scene of their royalty frolicking there, rubbing her cheeks against Re's like she was a soft, confused and heavily blushing pillow, Sakuri was busy taking photos, even Jackson got a smile on his face, as did I; for a war, this was as carefree as one could get I suppose.

* * *

"Alright fellas, time to move 'em up before they wake. Sakuri here will help y'all set up the cell. Now come along Patty, what was that hubbub about energy condensers you were rattlin' on about?" The old Texan led Patricia away while Recette had to go to the docks for a minor check-up, which left me with Sakuri to push the cage and the 4 prisoners up to the lab.

"Sooooo…what happened to your real daughter?" I almost lost my footing as Sakuri's sudden question took me off guard.

"E-Excuse me?"

"I saw the way you were looking at Re, she reminds ya of something you've lost and miss dearly, am I right or am I right? Plus, from the way you deal with her it's clear you've got some kind of parental experience. And then there's your code word Charlotte. Either it's some girl's name, or you really like chocolate charlottes, and you don't look like a sweet tooth to me. So, what happened?"

"First of all, I do have a sweet tooth. Secondly, do you always ask about people's private lives so randomly?"

"Meh, just wanted something to talk about while we lug this cage up. Tell ya what, you tell me about it, I'll tell you something in return, deal?"

"…Fine." I sighed and briefly explained to her.

"Ah, that's sad. Wife's got a point though, SOMEONE'S gotta pay the bills and education. And hey, at least that asshat lives way inland, so they should be safe from any Abyssals. And he IS rich, so the kids can live comfy right? Plus if ya survive the job, you're gonna be far richer than him! You can buy your own condo, and invite your kids over for blackjack and hookers! Well maybe hookers isn't such a hot idea but you get the idea."

"Hmm. Well when you say it like that I suppose there is a bright side. Still doesn't help the fact that I miss them, but not all hope's lost it seems."

"See, feels better after telling someone doesn't it? I did ya a favor there! You should thank me!"

"Yes, thank you, now it's your turn to talk about yourself."

"Goddammit."

I thought for a bit. "So, why are you here?"

"What?"

"I mean why are you here working for the Abyssals. You're around 18, right? I don't think there's anyone else here under 20. How did you even find out about this place? Shouldn't you be in college right now?"

She suddenly started laughing loudly, a sort of forced laughter quite unlike her usual self. "College? Ha, like hell would my dad fund that for me! Well, maybe he would have, before THAT ho showed up." I stayed silent as she calmed herself down. "Alright, you wanna know why I'm here? Long story short then, listen up."

* * *

"My dad worked in the navy. Mom died right after giving birth to me, so he had to take care of me himself. Since he also had his navy duties, there wasn't exactly much attention he could give to a brat. Still did the best he could though, spent his hard-earned salary getting me into decent schools, paid for children's books to be added to the on-base library just for me; what he couldn't afford in time, he gave in cash.

"Even the few days he was free he'd spend them with me. Trips to theme parks, museums, even took me on a few cruises. The other staff were pretty fond of me too, taught me stuff and kept me company whenever dad was busy, which was most of the time. When I wanted some alone time I'd just hole up in the library or make my own toys from whatever scraps I could find. Sure I didn't get as much "family bonding" as all the other kids at school, but so what? I was friends with practically everyone on the base, had a rich and loving father, a big library and brand new computers, lots of freedom; I don't know about you but that's a pretty nice life to me, wished it would never ever end.

"Everything changed when those freakin' Fleet Girls arrived. Everyone hailed them as these stupid hero goddesses, spent all their time kissing their ship asses; Frank, Billy, Joe, every last friggin' one of them. Suddenly it's as if I don't EXIST anymore, it's just Fleet Girl this, Fleet Girl that. 'Ermergerd, they're so brave and powerful because they can wield some alien technology! Our heroes!' 'OMG they're so hawt and kawaii I want to get in their pants so bad!' BLAH. And of course those ship bimbos acted all high and mighty, just gladly ate up all the attention.

"Worst of all was that ONE bitch. She was just OBSESSED with my dad, and she knew every dirty trick in the book. Just toyed with all of the stress he built up over the years, being a single parent, his work as a commander, the mess that the Abyssals caused etcetera, AND BLAMED IT ALL ON ME. That's right, that WHORE would use his DAUGHTER as a stepping stone. Made him think that I was this BURDEN weighing on him all those years, that I was the DISTRACTION that made all those men die under his command, THAT IF IT WASN'T FOR ME MOM WOULDN'T HAVE DIED. And guess what, dad actually believed her.

"Just, threw me away like yesterday's garbage. Dumped me off at the cheapest boarding school he could find. I could walk back to the base during the weekends, no allowance for bus fees and all that, but the place no longer felt like home. He wouldn't even let me in his office, where the bitch always was. No more birthday presents, no more Christmas gifts. Not for ME anyway. Jewelry, base-wide parties, only the BEST for his little secretary ship! My friends, my family, my HOME. All destroyed because of some paranoid bitch who thought I was in her way to her BE-LOV-ED admiral's heart.

"So I plotted my revenge. Read up all I could about those Fleet Girls' equipment, even engineered my own hybrid Abyssal Tech revolvers with some materials I nabbed. Considering I was practically invisible to everyone by then, I could've easily sneaked into the armory and sabotaged their gear, make them go BOOM when they least expect, but that wasn't enough. I want her to KNOW it was me, I want to see the look in her eyes when I splatter that tiny brain of hers. But, as much as I hate to admit, what I had then wasn't going to be enough.

"When I heard rumors on the internet of Abyssals recruiting humans, I knew that was the ticket. What better place to level up than the alien base itself? From there it was smooth sailing, "borrowed" a speedboat and drove out into Abyssal territory in the middle of the night, laid out all but 1 of the welcoming party to hand in my resume, and got the phone call a couple days later.

"For now I'll just keep doing my job, learn what I can and upgrade my guns. If she doesn't show on her own these 10 years I'll go hunt her after, I just hope she doesn't get her moronic ass killed before I get my shot."

* * *

With uncannily precise timing, we entered the lab just as she finished her story. I can't help but feel exaggerations were made at various points, but something about the wild look in her bloodshot eyes told me it wasn't worth interrupting her for.

"*inhale, exhale*…And there ya have it, story time's over! Alright where do ya wanna set this thing, corner over there?" Her mood switched back to normal so fast I almost got whiplash. "…That corner's fine."

With a little extra assembly, the cage on wheels was transformed into a fully functional prison cell. Medical treatment was applied via bandages soaked in nanobot paste and tranquilizers, the best we could do to heal their wounds without waking them. Once we made sure their conditions were stabilized, all that's left to do was hurry back to the mansion for a late meal and hopefully take my mind off things for a bit.

* * *

"Inazuma, Ikazuchi, Akatsuki, Hibiki. Apparently their names mean Lightning, Thunder, Dawn and Echo. Awfully cool-sounding for a few Japanese schoolgirls." Victoria was reading from the reports on known Fleet Girls.

"They're supposed to be names for actual Destroyer vessels sister, what'd you expect, Candy the Destroyer? Ahh, and I was hoping for some ladies with tits too, not these little kiddies. Such a shame…"

"They're research subjects, Marquis, not girlfriends."

"Heehee, Candy…Just imagine a pink Destroyer decorated like a birthday cake covered in giant MnMs and chocolate bars blasting away at you with candy cane torpedoes! 'RUN! IT'S THE CANDIED CRUSHER!' *giggles* By the way did you know the age of consent in Japan can be as low as 13?"

"You're not helping, Trales."

The others chattered away like usual, as if 4 unconscious girls locked away in a containment cell in the corner was an everyday affair. To be honest though we've had stranger things in the lab, so it really wasn't quite that surprising.

"Thunder, Lightning….hmm, that gives me an idea."

"What loony ideas are you having now Victoria? You got that scary glint in your eye again." Even Trales got nervous, as did everyone else. Apparently the last time Victoria got that mad scientist look she proposed experimenting on FG corpses in the middle of conversion. While it resulted in the creation of Re-Class, working on mutating corpses could not have been a pleasant experience.

Stacks of neatly stapled paper reports were thrown at us in response. "Read up, slackers. Be glad at least one of us was being productive."

* * *

The rest of the day was spent studying the report and making preparations late into the night for tomorrow's testing. After everyone else finally headed out yawning to catch some shuteye, I gave the prisoners one last check, all of which were slumbering soundly as the bandages did their jobs. Hopefully they can stay resting peacefully until whatever bloody experiments awaiting them are done. With a bid of "Good night" I turned off the lights and returned to my dorm, memories of Charlotte and Kirsten swimming through my mind. I wonder if they're sleeping well right now.

* * *

Victoria's notes – Abyss Energy

It is already known that the Abyssals have the ability to emit disruptive EM fields from their bodies, and in rare cases even the unknown energy fields known as "Auras" that strengthen not only the Abyssal's own capabilities but also that of connected equipment. While it was previously unknown how these energy fields are generated, I believe I have found some clue to this mystery.

It is common knowledge that the Anchorage Princess Patricia has been running unknown experiments in the training areas for a while now, often resulting in severe burns both to herself and her surroundings, implying the use of some kind of high intensity energy. However she was never seen carrying any special equipment other than her Demon, nor were the Engineering Department requested to make any kind of high caliber energy weapon.

Observation was difficult as the subject refused to allow any witnesses during her experiments, even the other Princesses. Attempted surveillance was only partially successful as the camera I slipped in via plane droid was destroyed by heavy energy radiation. However, prior to destruction, video feed observed some form of condensed energy sphere within the Demon's jaw, increasing in size as the creature drew additional energy from deeper within itself. Leaked energy from said sphere overwhelmed the camera before charging was complete, and subject was soon delivered to the repair docks once more as the sphere theoretically lost stability and exploded.

Based on the above observations, it can be theorized that the Abyssals contain some form of internal energy source, powering their equipment, abnormal strength, and energy field emission. This Abyss Energy is comparable to the concept of Qi in traditional Chinese culture, a form of life force that experienced and intelligent Abyssals can draw power from. This also explains why the human military could not find the source of this power from dissecting slain Abyssals, as the life force dissipates when the subject ceases to live.

It is also theorized that the life force can be converted into various forms of energy, judging from the different functions currently being utilized by the Abyssals. Further testing awaited.


	3. Chapter 3 - Preparations

Log Entry 5 – 30/4/20XX, Monday

Got up early at 5 am from a sleepless night. Despite actively trying to catch some rest for the few hours I still had before what I knew would be a long workday, thoughts of my daughters kept interrupting my attempts. At one point I did manage to fall sleep, only to wake up in cold sweat moments later from a nightmare of torpedoes speeding towards an unsuspecting Kirsten. Eventually it simply became too late to get any proper sleeping done, so may as well just grab a coffee and head down for an early check-up on the prisoners before breakfast gets done.

* * *

I paused just before opening the door as muffled voices and dull thumping sounds came from within.

"Hhnnnggg….hah…..take…this….you stupid…glass!"

"I already told you Ikazuchi, that's REINFORCED glass! This stuff blocks BULLETS much less your fists! A first-class lady like me would know!"

"I'll break it eventually! By the power of will! Commander's depending on me right now!"

"цішыня (Silence), someone's outside."

I waited for a moment still, but they've gone quiet. With a deep breath I opened the door, the lights flickering on automatically just as one of them spoke up once more, "See, Hibiki, you're just being parano-"; sure enough, the four prisoners were awake.

The two known as Ikazuchi and Akatsuki were staring at me, eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and fear; the former looked like she was interrupted mid-sentence, with her mouth agape and a raised finger frozen in the air (reminded me of Tannah actually, minus the guns aimed at her thankfully). The other two were a lot calmer about it; the white-haired Hibiki sat there cross-legged, staring at me from the corner of her eye with an emotionless face; Inazuma didn't even look at me, staring at the floor of her jail with a forlorn expression.

Ika's look of shock soon turned into one of joy as she pressed herself against the glass. "Look! Someone's here to save us! Hurry mister, get us outta here!"

"Finally! How dare they keep a lady locked up in a box like this! Quickly, open the door!" added an indignant Akat.

I hesitated, reluctant to reveal the truth. Thankfully, Ina broke their hearts on my behalf.

"He's one of the wardens, not our savior nanodesu."

Ika turned to her sister, confused. "Huh? B-but, he's a human!"

"The rumors are true, it seems. Humans working with Abyssals, providing the money and brains to back their muscle nanodesu."

I watched, a growing sense of guilt within me, as poor Ika's face of hope slowly turned to despair. "B-but…w-why?"

"Large fortunes, promises of power after the Abyss' victory, who knows."

"W-what are they g-going to do to us? They w-won't dare hurt a l-lady, right?!" Even Akat was trembling in horror now, throwing increasingly panicked glances at me.

"Manual abyssimilation experiments most likely nanodesu. Commander was right, there was no way Re-Class was a natural Abyssal. I knew she looked familiar for a reason…"

"Well well, you're smarter than you look, sweetie." A new voice sprung up behind me, accompanied by a slow clapping. "I'd love to hear more of your analysis, but too bad it's still bedtime for little kids."

"HEY! I'm not a kid, I'm a full-fledged lad-" Akat broke out of her fear to object, only to be interrupted as a pen flew past my ear and smashed itself against a button on the side of their cell, activating its security mechanism. Within seconds the four started coughing and vainly tried to hold their breaths as the prison flooded with knockout gas.

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to catch up with Recette later. We'll hold a nice little reunion party even." Victoria taunted the collapsing prisoners as she sauntered past me.

"Her name…is…Satsuki…" were Hibiki's first and last words to us before she finally collapsed alongside her friends, words that Vicky ignored as she took a closer look to make sure the girls were asleep. "This should keep them down until nightfall. So, what brings you here at this hour Harry? I doubt you're just too excited about the testing like me."

With a sigh I told her about my sleeping problems, not going into details.

"Oh well, everyone gets nights like that. It's no excuse for slacking though, especially not today. Come on, let's go get you a nice big energizing breakfast, I'll even buy you and the others some coffee, you're going to need them."

"And don't bother feeling sorry for them, their fates were sealed from the moment they became Fleet Girls." she casually added while walking past me again back into the corridor, "If anything, we'll be lifting them from the bottom to the top of the Abyss hierarchy, so we're actually doing them a favor. Just look at it that way."

* * *

Over the next two hours everyone else eventually arrived at the dining hall. With varying degrees of enthusiasm we had a toast with cans of coffee "TO SCIENCE!", and set off back to the lab. Needless to say I was on the lesser end of the enthusiasm scale; regardless of Vicky's reassurance, the guilt from earlier continued to gnaw at my chest.

Fortunately for me the day was less eventful than I imagined. Tests and measurements were quickly made on each of the prisoners' physiology, but the most important part of the testing, about the usage of Abyss Energy, was fruitless.

It was easier than expected to convince the girls to cooperate after they've awoken once more using bribes of food (they are just kids in the end). Ikazuchi took the tests as a game quickly and tried her best, but completely failed to release any energy readings. Akatsuki tried to outdo Ika as her "lady" pride kicked in, but also failed. Hibiki refused to do anything until her own companions convinced her to after we threatened to starve them all; results were also negative, though it's clear she was just pretending to try. Only Inazuma managed to produce a small EM field when she focused, which exhausted her quickly.

Afterwards we managed to get ahold of some Elites, the Abyssals who could activate Auras. Each of them could emit both EM fields and Auras, but couldn't change it into other forms of energy. Once again we asked them how they learned to activate said Auras, in hopes of new information, but the answers were as before: they didn't know, it just happened mid-combat, often during moments of extreme rage. Meanwhile Patricia was too busy blowing herself up in the training areas again for tests, and Recette was on another patrol.

* * *

"Gah, why do the Abyssals know so little about themselves?" Victoria complained while busy writing notes. We were in the middle of a late dinner in the lab, after a day of inconclusiveness. "Well, we still have one lead right now at least, extreme rage. We'll have to make quite a few precautions before testing that though."

"How would you inspire "extreme rage" in the little kiddies though, sister? Take away their lollipops and cackle evilly?" Marquis questioned while munching on his pasta.

"We could beat the living daylights out of one in front of all her friends!" Everyone stared at Trales. "…What? Just putting ideas out here."

Vicky simply shrugged and got up. "Not like we have any better ideas. We'll make preparations tonight and run the rage test tomorrow on the white haired one. Look into her background and start with verbal abuse. If that doesn't work, Trales gets free reign on the black haired one, just make sure it's not lethal. I'll go ahead and get some restraining equipment now."

"I'll try to change her mind." Rick whispered to us as he hurried out after his sister. The rest of us continued dining in awkward silence, throwing occasional wary glances at the one who excitedly suggested torture.

"….Oh stop looking at me like that, I was just kidding! Well, kinda. Kids overreact to pain all the time, it'd be easy to make them seem in a lot more pain than they're actually in! Throw in some sound effects, and a mild arm twist will look like breaking bones!"

She proceeded to snap some chicken bones in half with a dull crack. That'll have to do, I thought and went back to my dinner. It's strange, all this time I've been working with what are essentially Fleet Girl zombies, knowing that every day a few more FGs die thanks to our assistance, yet it's only now after a live capture that I start feeling uncertain. The situation just felt more…real, seeing the victims of our actions right before me instead of hearing about enemy death tolls or even watching them get blasted apart on video. It's something like how I love bacon, but would still feel uncomfortable seeing a live pig at the slaughterhouse. At the very least, I'd rather our 4 guests not be subjected to needless suffering.

We commenced our background search on Hibiki while we continued our meal. Couldn't glean much from the official records other than that she was part Russian, her original name was Верный (pronounced Verniy), and she was sold to the military by her family, but luckily for us it turned out Ikazuchi kept a blog of her daily life, which gave us plenty of information on all 4 captives. With our notes taken, we made our preparations and returned to our dorms for some relatively early rest. Hopefully I can actually get some shuteye tonight.

* * *

Log Entry 6 – 1/5/20XX, Tuesday

As planned, we ran the test today. Hibiki and Akatsuki were extracted from the cell while still unconscious and brought to the testing chamber; the former was secured to a body and energy scanner with titanium cuffs while the latter was chained to a chair and kept just outside the room, guarded by Trales. Victoria would stay down in the chamber to aggravate the subject, and the rest of us would stay on the observation deck, monitoring the equipment readings.

Testing began soon after Hibiki awoke. The first part was something I'd rather not go into details about. To summarize however, Vicky pretended it was a regular interrogation about military secrets, all the while raining down condescending insults about Hibiki, her family and friends. It got to the point where it was I who had to suppress the urge to deck the interrogator in the face, even though I knew it was all an act. Unfortunately, the girl was more stoic than I, refusing to say a word or even show any reaction, though there was a clear struggle to keep her emotions down when the taunts' subjects were her pals, especially Recette/Satsuki.

Her composure crumbled though when Akatsuki was brought in. One blindfold later and her stubborn silence was broken by increasingly enraged and desperate cries for her friend's freedom as the "torture" began.

Energy readings showed up within moments, steadily growing at a low rate as the poor girl started going insane from her companion's pleas of mercy and screams of agony, made worse by her own imagination from not being able to see. Then suddenly, it spiked. With an inhuman roar of blind rage, a crimson Aura erupted from her body; just like with the Abyssals, her strength increased drastically, so much so she quickly broke free of her bindings and sped towards where she thought her friend was; yet when she tore off her blindfold mid-dash, she discovered three things: Her friend was an electronic recorder, there was no one in the room besides her and Victoria, and there were multiple small syringes impaled on her body. With a look of confusion and exhaustion, her Aura faded as she quickly collapsed.

* * *

In reality, Rick had convinced his sibling last night to take a more humane yet effective route with less potential damage to her "specimens". With Trales as voice actor and the power of digital editing, we created an audio of fake torture complete with finger breaking, tasing, hot metal pokers, all the disturbing methods that we wouldn't use for real. Bringing Akat along was simply for show, and she was carried right back out as sound asleep as when she came in once Hibiki was blindfolded. It honestly surprised me the ruse worked so well.

"Well done everyone, that was a huge success!" Victoria knelt down to retrieve her anesthesia needles from the unconscious Fleet Girl while checking the recorded data. "Let's put the specimens back in containment and study these results over lunch. I remember dessert's supposed to be cake or something, how fitting."

"CAKE?!" Trales ran off without another word. I was, of course, the one tasked with carrying the two girls back to their cell (at least the lab was on our path back to the mansion). Akat was snoring peacefully, probably having a nice dream with no idea what had transpired; Hibiki looked a lot more distressed, mumbling the names of her friends, including ones I've never heard of, and begging for help from her commander in Russian. Still, no one was really harmed in the end, so I was sure she'd calm down soon enough; I was more worried about how Trales would react once she found out cake day was tomorrow.

* * *

Further progress was slow afterwards. While Hibiki did settle down after she realized the torture was fake, she's back to being as uncooperative as ever, refusing to try reactivating her Aura. We even tricked her again, leaving the room to observe her through hidden cameras; she actually believed it and tried to summon her Aura strength to bust themselves out, but nothing happened.

As for the data, we sent a copy of Hibiki's and the Elites' physical readings during their Aura activations to the engineers, since we knew Jackson was trying to make an Abyss Energy Conduit for Patricia. We'll have to wait for his side to finish up before we can continue.

Meanwhile we've started work preparing the nanobot serum we'll be using for the live Abyssimilation experiments. These things function by altering the genetic make-up of whatever non-Abyssal host they're injected into; by default they convert the host into one of the natural Abyssal classes based on said host's physical and mental quality. However, the result can be somewhat altered by processing the serum with samples of Support Genes before injection into target, allowing the addition of certain characteristics, though with a spin to it as the alterations try to fit general Abyssal biology, making experimentation quite unpredictable. For example, sea snake DNA was used as the Support Gene in the creation of Re-Class, expecting a sort of poisonous sea lamia with a human upper body and serpent lower body. What actually resulted was a non-poisonous humanoid with a sentient serpent tail almost as wide as the human body and deformed but functional legs.

Speaking of whom, Recette dropped by the lab for a visit today during dinner; we found her chatting with Ika and Akat when we came back from the mansion, though it was less "chatting" as it was the two Fleet Girls desperately trying to get their former companion to "wake up" and "remember" with stories of their old lives together while Re sat there munching on a steel sandwich as if enjoying a particularly interesting tall tale from some drunks in a bar. I was somewhat thankful Hibiki was still out cold from Vicky's needles.

"Oh hey you're back! Man these girls are the best storytellers EVER! Their stories feel so alive it's almost as if I was there instead of whoever this Satsuki girl is! I'm so glad I didn't sink them!"

"NO, you ARE Satsuki! You HAVE to remember, PLEASE!" The two "storytellers" had tears running down their cheeks by then, I had to look away before I pitied them too much.

"It's okay, I know it's just a storytelling technique for immersion, you don't have to lay it on that thick! So can we please keep them around a little longer? I want to hear more stories! Plleeeeeaaassseeee?"

Unable to resist Re's puppy dog eyes, even Vicky agreed to delay the first Abyssimilation tests she was so looking forward to until the engies finish the Conduit so we could get more data on Abyss Energy usage first. I wonder how the prisoners felt, having been temporarily saved by their former friend, but not for the reasons they hoped for.

* * *

Hours later, I found myself once more alone with the prisoners. Recette left earlier after Ika and Akat mentally exhausted themselves and fell asleep, and everyone else already went back to their dorms, leaving me to clean up and lock down before heading off myself.

"Will we end up like Recette nanodesu?" Inazuma's soft, sorrowful voice broke the silence. I figured she was only faking slumber while Re was here, though I didn't expect her to speak up now.

"…Not going to use her real name like your friends?"

The girl shook her head. Contrary to her sister's denial and Hibiki's defiance, she simply looked defeated, as if accepting her fate. "She's someone else now nanodesu. Satsuki already died a month ago. I've answered your question nanodesu, now will you answer mine?"

"You already know the answer."

She didn't reply for a few seconds. Then suddenly, she made a response that I didn't expect: she smiled. Not one of joy or sadness, simply one of content. "That means we'll be together again at least. Forgetting the past, starting anew. That's good enough for me nanodesu. I hope your blue-haired lady friend will keep to her word about a reunion party."

"You're not afraid?"

She shook her head once more. "I was at first nanodesu, but then I remembered I've gone through this before. At least, I should've."

I wanted to ask her what she meant, but decided against it. The topic just felt a little too personal for her, something not in my place to ask, so I simply finished tidying up and turned the lights off.

"Good night."

"Good night nanodesu."

* * *

Log Entry 7 – 13/5/20XX, Sunday

An announcement was made tonight for all Princesses, human staff and Elder Abyssals (we call the Abyssals who've survived over 3 years Elders, much to their annoyance) to gather at the training area. We arrived outside a locked shooting range 1, where Patricia frequented. The place wasn't too crowded thankfully, but it was still quite nerve-wracking being surrounded by all the most powerful Abyssals at once, and I was not alone in my worries; Rick was clinging on to Victoria like a scared child, and most of the engies were huddled close to each other except Jackson, who was nowhere to be seen, and Sakuri, who was happily chatting away with Henderson (a.k.a. Airfield Princess. She's sort of a carefree airhead). The Admirals were the least fazed, though that makes sense. I've actually never seen most of them before, as the Admirals live down in the base unlike the rest of us, generally stay on a floor I don't frequent, and only one of them even comes up for meals, having their secretaries bring food directly to their offices. Hell I haven't even seen Anton since day one.

After a while the metal gate lifted, revealing Jackson, Patricia and her Demon. "Welcome y'all to the grand premier of the next step in Abyssal evolution." The Head Engineer tipped his cowboy hat. "Well, actions speak louder than words, so we'll skip right to the show. Y'all might want to take a step back for this."

He walked over to join us as we all stood back. Patricia grinned and turned around with her Demon, a thick barrier of aerogel dropping down between them and us. Under her command, the Demon opened its maw; even with their backs turned to us, we could see the crimson glow of energy coming from within, intensifying with each passing second. Then, it fired: a huge blood red beam erupted from the beast's jaws, simultaneously launching a shockwave backwards that was so strong it pushed most of us back a few centimeters even through the barrier. After about a good few seconds it finally started to dissipate, thinning out until the last spark faded away. Seawater flooded the shooting range in seconds as the laser had traveled the entire 100 yard span of the range and vaporized a clean hole through the 20-inch titanium alloy wall right out into the ocean, though the barrier wasn't there just to keep us from drowning; the room was covered in scorch marks from just the heat of the beam.

We all stood there speechless, even the other Princesses. Finally, when Patricia turned around with the biggest grin I've ever seen and gave us the victory sign, the awed silence erupted into celebration. Abyssals cheered and danced like crazed football fans after a landslide victory, all the engineers and my fellow researchers high-fived each other, even the stone-faced Admirals looked really impressed. The star of the show arrived a moment later after swimming out and back in from the port, welcomed by heated applause and big hugs from her sisters.

"Alright, settle down now, you'll have all the time for a hoedown together once we're done. Right now I'm gonna show y'all just how it's done." Jackson opened his toolbox, revealing dozens of tiny gem-like machines; the finished Conduits.

According to him, once implanted into the body, the Conduits can draw out and stabilize the Abyss Energy within the subject by triggering and maintaining certain physical conditions. With a little practice, every Princess and Demon can do the same as Patricia and more; regular Abyssals won't be able to go quite that far, but would at least be able to reach Elite power, possibly even further. Mass production will begin soon, but for now they made enough for the already top tier Abyssals, and us researchers got to work with the engies for the implant operations.

Brief testing and data gathering were done afterwards. It wasn't safe for the Princesses to test their new powers here, so they'll be traveling out to a far away area once their Demons get the operation as well. As for our two dozen Elders, every one of them were able to release red Auras within an hour, and a few of the original Elites were able to release a new concentrated golden Aura. Recette herself reached Elite status fairly quickly as well. Those poor Fleet Girls are going to be in for a bloody surprise soon, figuratively and literally.

Still, none of them were able to convert their Abyss Energy into other kinds of power besides the EM fields as we had hoped for. That's not going to stop us from trying though. "If nature can't do it, then we'll just surpass nature!" Vicky decreed after we returned to the lab. We originally wanted to start small, using the Re-Class serum instead of something untested, but now we've decided to add an extra Support Gene: Electric eel. The experiment starts tomorrow.

* * *

I'm currently sitting here in my dorm, another sleepless night. Perhaps it was the excitement from the laser show, or my worries for the big test, most likely both actually. Thinking of our test subjects for tomorrow, I was reminded of Inazuma's words, about how she should've gone through something like this before. With sleep an unreachable goal for now, I decided to do a little research and found an old news article from years back, which I'll attach to the end of this log. For now I think I'll take a walk outside. The night view by the beach has always been very calming for me.

* * *

News Article

A year has passed since the creation of the first Fleet Girl, the genetically modified humans created to combat the alien creatures known as Abyssals. Numerous controversies have emerged over time about the utilization of underage candidates as child soldiers and various shady recruitment methods. As new information has recently leaked from undisclosed sources, yet another controversy emerges regarding severe side effects during the Fleet Girl Construction process.

Sources claiming to be from within the military have revealed that the Fleet Girl Construction process create heavily detrimental side effects to the subject's mental health, the most common symptom being amnesia, amidst other ailments including bipolar disorder and delirium. Interviews with low-level navy personnel who have asked not to be named have confirmed many of these claims, stating that almost all of the Fleet Girls they have interacted with have little to no recollection of their lives before Construction, some of which have even created fake memories involving their fellow Fleet Girls as a coping mechanism.

Some netizens have theorized that the amnesia may in fact be inflicted on purpose to increase loyalty and obedience, based on how many Fleet Girls seem to imprint on their respective commanders as father figures and even lovers, possibly to fill emotional holes in their lost memories and lack of social life beyond their respective naval bases with an authority figure as substitute.

The local naval authority made an official statement yesterday in an effort to counter these claims. "While it is true that several unfortunate Fleet Girls have suffered from mild mental side effects during Construction, they are in a minority and all detrimental effects are purely accidental. Anyone claiming otherwise are most likely conspiracy theorists aiming to sow controversy for their own personal gain. Any perceived mental illness besides the rare cases of amnesia have been confirmed by our highly qualified doctors to be attributable to existing conditions prior to Construction. Our scientists have continually worked with the Faeries to improve Construction technology. We hope that within a year, the process will be rid of all unwanted defects to ensure future candidates can make a safe, healthy transition into the Fleet Girl ranks against the extraterrestrial threat."

The statement has also asked for all future questions on the subject of the Fleet Girls or Abyssals to be referred to official military sources.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Raiden Sisters

Log Entry 8 – 14/5/20XX, Monday

Today was the big day. Vicky took it upon herself to wake each of us up as early as 4, calling us through the internal hotline or outright pounding on our doors. After a quick breakfast of microwaved pancakes and canned coffee (even the cooks weren't awake yet), we were hurried down to the lab to begin as soon as possible. With the exception of Victoria herself and Noel (that man never seems to lose his composure, always neat and organized, silently observing everyone, only making short formal responses when directly spoken to. Sometimes I wonder if he's a surveillance robot under disguise), we were all bleary-eyed and yawning the entire way. One would think after a completely sleepless night I'd be the worst off of the bunch, but Trales outdid me in that regard; she was still wearing pajamas under her lab coat and had to continue her breakfast during the lift and tram rides after she kept nodding off in the dining hall.

The four prisoners were sound asleep when we arrived; at least, they appeared to be. I hit the gas button anyway, and sure enough, Hibiki grimaced and twitched slightly before slumping over again. My guess was correct, despite the toggle-able soundproof function of the cell, she did figure out what we were planning after seeing us prepare the serum last night, and probably wanted to attempt an ambush once we open the door to take the test subjects, not that it would've resulted in anything other than getting herself hurt. Inazuma should've noticed too, though it appears she really has chosen to accept it and simply slept away.

With the gas vented away we quickly lifted our two subjects out, Inazuma and Ikazuchi. The two sisters were stripped (Vicky and Trales handled that part), wired up to a more advanced specimen holding machine and placed within separate glass cylinders. Once they were sealed, the containers filled up with liquid (a diluted version of the nanopaste used in the repair docks) and our modified Re-Class nanobot serum was pumped directly into their bodies. After a stressful hour of close monitoring, we could finally breathe a sigh of relief; their vital signs were stable, now we just have to wait and see what happens.

* * *

The rest of the day was mostly spent running tests on the Conduit-implanted Elders. All of them stayed up to practice with their new powers and 2 more of our original Elites became Flagships overnight (we took to calling the golden Aura Elites Flagships). The discovery of Flagship Auras was quite exciting last night, but in reality they're just a step stronger than Elites with no unexpected properties. Oh well, not every discovery's going to be groundbreaking. Further testing also showed the Abyss Energy from the Auras were what increased explosive force in their connected cannons, thus improving firepower and range. As for living components such as Chi's motorbike or Wo's hat and planes, their psychic bond allows sharing of Abyss Energy even if detached. Despite Demons and Princesses having psychic links too however, it's not enough to support the sheer size and power of the Demons, so Conduits have to be implanted in them individually.

Meanwhile Rick and I also put up a curtain between the cell and the machine holding Ina and Ika. When the two remaining prisoners eventually awoke, I lied and said their two friends were taken elsewhere for further energy tests; Hibiki obviously knew the truth, it was Akat that needed the illusion. It's not one that will last long, but for what it's worth, seeing the finished product may be less traumatizing than witnessing a work-in-process, much like with bacon.

* * *

Log Entry 9 – 16/5/20XX, Wednesday

We were examining one of Willow's (one of our two Flagship Wo-Classes) planes in the lab when a yelp came from Rick, followed by a clatter, and soon a high pitched scream that made everyone cringe.

"The hell was that?" Marquis questioned as we quickly turned around towards the source of the shriek; Akatsuki sat there, in a position implying she just lost balance and fell over backwards, staring wide-eyed in terror at the two canisters that held the Fleet Girl sisters. Rick had just tripped and accidentally ripped the curtain down, giving the poor Fleet Girl full view of what became of her missing friends.

The two sisters floated there, held up by dozens of tubes and cables connected to their bodies. By this point their skin had become deathly pale and their hair looked bleached, their toes have merged together into one mass of flesh as their feet slowly deform into Re's hoof-like ones; much more disturbing however was the big bulge emerging from their tailbone. Just less than half a meter long, the black Abyss Alloy had already formed into a vague jaw at the end of the unfinished tail, looking like some sort of alien parasite. While it's not really THAT disturbing to look at for us or even an average person (I've seen far worse on the internet), no doubt it's a whole other matter when it's your closest friends.

Poor girl kept stuttering the two's names, which quickly devolved into babbling nonsense, unable to tear her eyes off the sight until she eventually turned aside and heaved, puking on the ground. Vicky launched another pen at the gas button, but by then Akat had already fainted on her own.

* * *

"Wo does not understand. Why was that Fleet Girl so frightened?" Willow asked me while Rick had to clean the barf away.

"Well, wouldn't you be horrified if you saw your best friends being mutated into monsters? I mean, what YOU would see as a monster."

She shook her head, waving her hat's tendrils around. "Why would Wo fear that? Wo's friends would be becoming stronger, evolving into greater existences. Wo would be happy for them instead. Same with Fleet Girls. Abyssals can be brought back from death, can breathe underwater, can withstand pressure even on the ocean floor, can control Abyss Energy more efficiently, and are stronger in general. Fleet Girls are not. Abyssals are the evolution of Fleet Girls. Wo does not understand why they choose to fight us instead of joining us."

One could argue those perks are paid for with brainpower for anyone not strong and lucky enough to become a battleship, but I chose not to continue the debate. I wonder if she'd still think that way if she was still a Fleet Girl. Regardless, we should probably run the second test with Akatsuki as soon as possible after the first is done; her sanity's going to drain pretty fast after this, the most merciful action would be to use Abyssimilation as brain bleach for her.

* * *

Other than that little mishap the day has been relatively uneventful. However, as I lay in bed trying to get some rest, Akat's face of pure terror stay burned into my mind. For a moment I pondered, how would I have reacted to seeing someone dear to me floating in a canister like pickled animal specimens and mutating into alien creatures? Probably very violently. Yet while to Akat her friends were turning into monsters, from a different perspective we were evolving them, making them stronger, semi-immortal even, as Willow had said. The only potential downside would be mentally, due to amnesia and minor psychopathy, but if what was claimed in that news article was true, isn't Construction into a Fleet Girl almost the exact same thing? And as Vicky said, all Fleet Girls will inevitably die and naturally become Abyssals, we sort of ARE doing them a favor by manually converting them in a way that at least preserves their intelligence and personality. Wait, Fleet Girls don't physically age after Construction, doesn't that mean they COULD potentially live forever?

Ugh, this is going to be another sleepless night isn't it. Guess I'm going to the beach again.

* * *

Ran into someone I least expected to. As I walked along the sandy shore, hoping to relax to the soft sound from crashing waves and the cool embrace of the ocean wind like I often do during nights like this, I noticed a familiar figure in the distance. He was staring out into the horizon under the star-filled heavens, standing tall in parade rest, beard and coat flowing in the breeze, just like on the first day.

After a moment of consideration, I walked over and stood beside Anton. We looked out into the dark ocean together for a few minutes, the rustling leaves and ocean waves filling the void of our silence. Finally, confirming that he won't be starting any conversations, I spoke up.

"It's her birthday next week."

I felt him give me a sideways glance, but I kept looking forward.

"My daughter, Charlotte. It'll be her tenth birthday next Friday. The big One O. Shame I can't be there with her. At least I know she'll have a big party with her new step-dad, one that I wouldn't be able to afford. All I can do now is sit here, hoping my best wishes can reach her somehow."

We said nothing for another while.

"So, how old is yours this year?"

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke. "Nineteen. As she will forever be."

No more was said, and after a few more minutes I took my leave.

* * *

Log Entry 10 – 21/5/20XX, Monday

The team and I (sans Vicky, who's been waking up much earlier than the rest of us every day for the past week) had just arrived outside the lab after breakfast, expecting another regular work day. Damn did Vicky have a surprise in store for us.

When the door opened, all I saw was a blur of white before I found myself tackled to the ground. Thinking it was another attack from an upset Abyssal, my first reflex was to try shoving the attacker off, but she was far too strong; when I got a good look at my assailant however, what I saw wasn't a face of malice, but a playful smile on a familiar yet different face.

"Nice to meet you Commander! You can rely on me from now on, okay?"

Everyone else's initial shock quickly turned to amusement as the situation cleared up, trying to stifle snickers or just outright laughing at the sight of a grown man held down by a teenage girl (Marquis later said it was mistaking me for someone of such high authority that they found funnier. Wankers.)

"Get off him Rai, he's not your commander, not even close." Even Vicky can't help but grin. Standing beside her was Recette, laughing her ass off, and my attacker's sister, trying to hide her own smile.

Turned out our two test subjects had been completely Abyssimilated already and Vicky released them early to surprise us. The Raiden Sisters was the nickname Trales made up for them, and despite Vicky's minor protest about it sounding like some video game character, we ultimately agreed upon it. As Rai meant thunder and Den meant lightning, Rai and Den were our new names for Ikazuchi and Inazuma respectively (admittedly their FG names were quite a mouthful).

Physically, they differed little from Recette (Vicky called her over to meet her new pals) besides their tails, the heads of which have large angular protrusions on the sides, making them resemble anchors instead of a smooth snake jaw. The real difference was more than meets the eye.

After a quick check of their physical condition, we led them down to the training area to test their Abyss Energy output. Rai and Recette pranced down the hallways with great enthusiasm, chatting with each other non-stop; strangely, Den didn't seem nearly as energetic, just walking along behind us. Perhaps it's just her personality being carried over, as is often the case for battleships, though something else seemed off to me; while Rai had taken her new body completely in stride as if she'd been that way her whole life, Den seemed more self-aware, staring at her own pale skin and tail whenever she thought no one was watching, and even stumbled on occasion from her new feet. Then of course there was her eye; both of Rai's eyes had changed from amber to magenta, but Den's right eye remain unchanged. It was still fully functional though so we chalked it up as a minor "defect".

We met up with the engineers (they'll be making special equipment for the two) and Willow (to coach the two on activating their Auras) and set up equipment in the firing range, with Rai in the middle of a ring of insulated machinery, connected via conducting wires. While we covered most of the floor and walls with plastic already, everyone else still stepped outside behind the aerogel barrier just in case.

And so the suspense began. We waited as Willow tried her best to teach the girl (which took awhile since Rai was pretty bad at following instructions), wondering just how much power the new Re-Class can generate; a hundred volts, a thousand, ten thousand? Can she even produce electricity like we expected at all?

Our internal doubts were cleared when the girl suddenly erupted into electric power with a deafening crack of thunder; violet lightning arced from her body, scorching the plastic wherever they struck. The power died down after a few seconds, though sparks continued to flow around her in a form of electric Aura. Rai started jumping with joy, and Vicky looked about ready to join her; three hundred thousand volts, the test was beyond a success.

Den proceeded to one-up her sister, reaching five hundred thousand volts. She gazed down at herself while we looked over the data, a look of awe, and was that a tinge of excitement I saw in her eyes?

Jackson whistled while looking through the print-outs. "Well I'll be, those cute little tesla coils pack quite the punch, good work fellas! Heck, I'd say the first thing we should be making would be-"

"RAILGUNS."

"What was that?" We looked at Sakuri, who was in turn staring intensely at Rai, who was entertaining Recette by generating sparks from her fingers.

"RAILGUNS. WE ARE MAKING RAILGUNS."

* * *

After the engies headed back, by popular vote, I was chosen to be the Raiden Sisters' main caretaker. They reasoned I'd be best for the job considering my parental experience and how much Recette likes me, but no doubt they just don't want to babysit, lazy wankers. Oh well, I don't really mind some extra company.

As their caretaker the others sent me to lead the two around the base for a tour, though honestly I barely know the place myself, so I got Recette to help me out. Been here for almost two months and it was only then that I realized how little I've seen of the place besides the lab, port and training area.

Since Rai was hungry, our first stop was the mess hall. Since we eat completely different foods, Abyssals have their meals in the mess hall down in the base while us humans have ours at the mansion. The place reminded me of my middle school's cafeteria, with chunks of metal instead of mystery meat, and pretty cyborg girls instead of wrinkly old lunch ladies.

After the girls each grabbed a metal sandwich (triangular slabs of steel with sheets of different metals in between) and a cup of diesel fuel, we headed through the port to the repair docks. For most light wounds, the Abyssals just sit in hot spring-like pools of nanobot serum for a few hours, though for more serious cases the wounded have to stay submerged in chambers of concentrated nanobot paste, much like the Raiden Sisters during Abyssimilation.

Even though they won't be using the barracks (Rai insisted on sleeping in my room and Recette followed suit after her, so I've got 3 new roommates now since Den's staying with her sister), we took a look there anyway. Much like college dormitories, the barracks were rows and rows of hallways with dorms fit into one side. Each dorm fit about 4 Abyssals, usually of the same ship class, and just like with their fashion senses, the battleships tend to decorate their dorms far more than the lower classes, some even putting stickers and signs on their doors.

Finally we dropped by the admirals' offices. There wasn't really much to see besides secretaries carrying stacks of documents up and down the corridors though. Each admiral has their own office that doubles as their living quarters. I've heard most of them rarely ever leave their offices besides to go to the meeting room at the end for strategic conferences.

Throughout the tour Rai looked at everything with wide-eyed wonder like a kid on her first visit to a museum, asking lots of questions, chatting up random Abyssals; Den also looked more relaxed than before and generally enjoyed herself, tagging along with a spring in her step. Watching the three play around without a care in the world, old memories of my own daughters inevitably rose up once more. Charlotte's hitting double digits at the end of the week and I'm out here in the middle of the ocean, hundreds of miles away. Wonder if they miss me, or are they enjoying the rich life too much to care. I should see if I can get Kennedy to send a postcard for me at least, let them know I'm fine and not to worry.

* * *

They're busy playing scrabble on Marquis' iPad right now (awfully nice of him to just give it to the kids), Den's going for her third win in a row. I'll have to get them to stop and go to bed after this round, little ankle biters their age shouldn't be staying up past midnight, even if they're alien cyborgs. Good thing the engies quickly assembled an extra bed for them, otherwise I'd have to sleep at the table. Ah, almost forgot, found another old article the other night while I was bored. I'll just attach this and go check on the kids, Rai and Recette are calling for me to break Den's streak for them.

* * *

News Article

During a recent defensive battle against the Abyssal invaders within the North Sea, Admiral Anton Kaiser of the German Navy was severely wounded from an explosion on deck caused by enemy fire. The victim's right arm has been completely severed, and third degree burns have been inflicted on the surrounding area. He is currently hospitalized under critical condition.

Highly decorated and revered within the navy before the alien invasion, Admiral Kaiser has become famous even amongst civilians as a war hero against the extraterrestrial threat, holding the fewest friendly casualties in any operation under his command and was responsible for the first live capture of an Abyssal creature by German forces. He is also the only German Admiral to personally command his own ship, the Beowulf, against the Abyssals at sea. Unfortunately his bravery has become his undoing during the recent sortie as a stray enemy shot impacted the vessel, causing an explosion that has critically wounded the Admiral and 3 crewmen, killing one.

Despite the damage, the Beowulf survived retreat back to port. Only 2 destroyers were sunk in the operation. Casualty numbers aboard the other vessels are currently unreleased.

Admiral Kaiser's daughter, Ms. Abigail Kaiser, has volunteered to participate in the Fleet Girl Project to honor her father's efforts and sacrifices to protect humanity. Little is currently known of the Fleet Girl Project, proposed by the mysterious and currently assumed friendly alien race known as the Faeries, only that it involves genetic modification of suitable human candidates, allowing the modified humans to wield alien technology capable of permanently damaging the Abyssal creatures. After extensive testing, it was concluded that only human females have a chance of being compatible, thus the naming of the project. Numerous suitable candidates have already been gathered by military from around the world, and Ms. Abigail Kaiser shall become the first German Fleet Girl.

"We are most proud of Admiral Kaiser's bravery and great leadership in our ongoing battle against the extraterrestrial threat." Said a military spokesperson during today's press conference. "The Admiral is currently kept hospitalized at a secure medical institution, cared for at all times by the best medical personnel we have available. We would also like to express the utmost gratitude to his daughter Ms. Kaiser for her volunteering into the Fleet Girl Project. We promise to honor her wishes to succeed in her father's duty and protect humanity against the Abyssal invaders with the best of our power."

Ms. Abigail Kaiser herself was not available for contact at the time of this article's writing.


	5. Chapter 5 - Birthday escape

Log Entry 11 – 25/5/20XX, Friday

It was Charlotte's birthday today. Had Kennedy send a birthday card for me a few days ago, thought that'd be the end of celebrations. The truth, for better or worse, was far from that.

The day started normal enough, headed to the dining hall for breakfast with the 3 Res in tow. Rai's surprisingly clingy, she's insisted on following me everywhere, sleeping in my room, eating meals with me, hanging around the lab while I work; and since Den follows her sister in turn…well, it's not like I mind their company, but I'd rather not have everyone I pass give me curious stares. Two (three whenever Recette has free time) tailed albino teenage girls tagging behind a human is a strange sight even by Abyssal standards. She does tidy up the place and has done all the physical labor for me though, so I won't complain. Plus, they'll be around less once the engies finish their custom gear and their patrols begin, so I may as well enjoy their presence while it lasts.

Recette was looking a bit glum at the table, slowly chewing on her metal cereal with a bored expression. I figured it was probably because she got dominated at video games yet again last night (Den has won every puzzle game by a landslide and Rai's professional at action ones), so I started up Street Fighter on the tablet and offered a round. Using the skills I've acquired from years of practice with my own kids, she found herself earning her first victory for days after a "fierce" battle.

"I…I won? I WON! In your FACE Rai, I'm NOT the worst player in the world!"

That hurt ever so slightly, but putting a smile back on her face made it more than worth it.

* * *

With breakfast finished we headed down to the laboratory, Rai and Recette arguing all the while whether I lost on purpose, when suddenly I was assaulted once again as the lab door opened, this time by a storm of confetti and streamers instead of an overenthusiastic Re-Class.

"HAPPY DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY HARRY!" Trales finishes off the group cry with a party horn. The lab was decorated with banners and balloons, it looked like they've been preparing this for hours! I managed to get over my surprise enough to thank and ask them how they knew.

Vicky shrugged. "We got a note some days ago telling us, so we figured may as well make a surprise party since the workload's been low. Nice change of pace I'd say."

A note? But then who would know about Charlotte's birthday except…huh, maybe he's not as stone cold as he seems.

"Daughter's birthday? You have daughters?! Oh wow they must be the luckiest kids in the world!" Rai was looking up at me with sparkling eyes.

"Can we meet them? Pleeeaassee? They can move here and we can be one big happy family!" Chimed Recette. Looking at their expectant faces, it's hard to tell the truth, so I just said "They're not strong like you girls so this place isn't safe for them, but one day I'll be able to return to them and when I do I promise to take all of you along, okay? Now let's just focus on enjoying the party."

The two cheered and ran over to Marquis, who was making balloon animals, dragging Den along with them. The party wasn't technically mine, but oh well, a day-off won't hurt anyone, so just enjoy the party as I said myself. Admittedly it was less a 10 year old's birthday party and more a frat party with 6 adults and 3 teenagers, we just played on some consoles and had some cheap beer (the Res got fuel oil), rambling about childhood stories. The engies and the occasional passing Abyssal dropped by for brief visits and that was about it. Still, been a long time since I've had some carefree fun like this; watching Trales and the Res play Mario Kart while Marquis was spinning a yarn about some shootout at a bar he was at (something tells me it wasn't complete bollocks like the average drunken tale), I took another swig of "beer" (that cheap junk barely had alcohol in it); if only Kirsten and the birthday girl herself could be here.

* * *

When lunchtime came we left for the mansion to get the cake and snacks down, leaving the Res at the lab with their video games. Rai wanted to come with again, but I convinced her to stay behind; despite how helpful she wants to be, clumsiness was still one of her defining traits. We'd be gone at most 15 minutes, what could go wrong?

Everything, apparently. When we were half way back with the cake, Den came running up to us with a look of urgency.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! Akatsuki and Hibiki, they-" Before she could finish, Vicky had already stuffed the cake to her and ran ahead. The rest of us quickly caught up to her, but we were all too late. "….Goddammit."

The prisoners' cell door was wide open, and the two inmates were nowhere to be seen. Rai and Recette were blindfolded, stumbling around with their arms outstretched as if searching for something.

"Where arrreee you? It's 3 against 2, you can't hide forever!" Rai was taunting in a singsong voice to no one in particular. With one swift motion Vicky stormed up to her, ripped off the blindfold and grabbed her shoulders, turning the young Abyssal towards her.

"Rai, where are the specimens?"

"What? You mean the two Fleet Girls? We're playing blind tag together! It was their idea! Recette told us they told the best stories, and Hibiki said if we won they'd tell us the bestest story EVER! But you took off my blindfold so it doesn't count now…wait, what did you mean 'where' are they? They're…" She looked around in confusion as Vicky performed a majestic facepalm. "Hey, they weren't supposed to leave the room! Cheaters!"

* * *

We sent Trales and Noel back to lock and guard the tram, which was the only possible exit for the girls since they can't survive swimming out from the port. The rest of us formed groups to search the rest of the base: Vicky with Rick, Marquis with Recette, and I with the Raiden Sisters. Compared to them actually successfully escaping though I was more worried they'd run into an Abyssal and get blown to smithereens.

We spread out, searching each floor. They couldn't have gone far, and their options were limited; with no weapons to defend themselves with, the first Abyssal they'd meet would be their last. Even assuming they outrun anyone they come across, the witness would still hit the alarm and call for reinforcements. There's only one thing they could do to survive, and a quick check back at the lab proved that Hibiki got the same idea: Vicky's white face powder was gone.

Sure enough, we found the completely emptied powder canister in the washroom trash bin. The two had covered themselves with it to give themselves pale skin akin to the other Abyssals. Normally, even with their black and white hair which were natural to Abyssals, the disguise would've been paper thin, but with the presence of the Res, it would be possible to convince most non-human passersby they were some new experimental Abyssals.

"Um…s-sorry I screwed up…they just looked so lonely in there while we were all partying and…" Rai was looking really sheepish while we continued our search. I just sighed. "It's okay, we'll just find them again. You meant well, no one's mad at you." It wasn't just a lie to make her feel better neither, we would find them sooner or later. The question was in what condition.

I started concentrating. Hibiki had the mind and time to think up a decent escape plan, but not the knowledge. We knew the tram was the only way out unless we could breathe underwater and withstand immense water pressure, they did not. The logical conclusion however would be that the human exit was on the top floor of the compound, which the lab was and they would soon figure out. They'd also know we turn right to head back to the mansion whenever we leave the lab, which eliminates quite a few paths to the exit; that would also be the direction which we come back from, so they'd avoid it until they're sure we've passed.

Assuming they started the escape plan as soon as we left, it would take about 2 minutes to convince and blindfold the Res, 5 minutes to locate the washroom and apply disguise, and we took 15 minutes to return, giving them plenty of time to run or hide. Their disguise won't last long though, it's only a matter of time before we discover their ruse (which I already have), and if we don't find them ourselves in an hour we'll broadcast it over the intercom for a base-wide search and lockdown, so the escape would have to be fast. Of course, in the worst case scenario we could've ordered lockdown instantly, so Hibiki would probably plan based on that, which would require reaching the exit soon after we return. To do that she would need to observe our movements and get going as soon as she's sure we've passed them while we're coming back and still haven't found out they've escaped, and the one place she could be sure to see us was…

First left turn up the corridor is a small storage room where we keep cleaning supplies. Upon closer inspection, there was indeed bits of white face powder left behind on the walls, which meant my deduction were true up to this point. In that case the two should still be on this floor wandering somewhere. Before I could call the others over our handheld transceivers though Trales had beaten me to it.

"Umm, guys? They're at the tram stop, and we're kind of getting our asses kicked here, please advise?"

Lucky girls found their way to the exit sooner than expected. I would've thought Trales and Noel could handle Abyssals though, much less two young Fleet Girls with no armaments. Unless…

My worries were confirmed when my team arrived. A blood red Aura surrounded Hibiki as she swung what remained of a vacuum cleaner, dents and shrapnel covering the ground. Akatsuki was trying to override the locked tram control panel (likely with no idea what she was doing from her frantic looks of confusion) while Hibiki held off both Trales and Noel alone. Trales' butterfly knife was outranged by her opponent's club, and Noel's Deagle was too potentially lethal for a Destroyer class, leading to their standoff.

The white haired Fleet Girl turned to face us new arrivals, sweat dripping down her face, washing away streaks of white makeup. Help had already begun to arrive, and soon even her Aura won't be enough. Suddenly, Akat's face was filled with surprise and joy. "It's working! The tram's coming back!" Hibiki said nothing, responding by clenching her weapon tightly with renewed determination.

Rai held out a hand to stop me from going closer. "Leave this to me! You can rely on me, I'll prove it this time!" Purple sparks flew off her body as a mean grin spread across her face, she looked about to go full out and deep fry her former pals to make up for her earlier mistake. I reached out to stop her, only for Den to grab her by the back of her shirt and drag her back before I could.

"Wait, if you really want to prove you can be relied on, put a handicap on yourself nanodesu. You're not very reliable if you have to use full power on a single Fleet Girl, are you?"

"Hey that's a great idea! No electricity then, I'll beat the tar out of that trickster the old fashioned way! Just sit back and enjoy the show guys!" She cracked her knuckles and, with a roar both from herself and her tail, charged at Hibiki once more. Den and I simultaneously wiped the sweat from our foreheads, breathing a sigh of relief. The same couldn't be said for Akat nor Hibiki, quite the opposite in fact.

Trales and Noel backed off as the battle commenced. After only a split second of hesitation Hibiki swung the smashed up vacuum cleaner, no doubt with the same force capable of creating the dents on the titanium floor around her, only for Rai to block it with her bare arm effortlessly. The cleaner's front half snapped off completely, hurtling towards Den, though her tail intercepted the projectile between its jaws. Completely ignoring the broken off piece, Rai returned the strike with a left hook, which Hibiki barely ducked under before jumping back for some breathing room.

As for the spectators, Akat had huddled up in a corner and started crying. "Ikazuchi! Please, stop! We're your friends! Best friends forever and ever, you promised! It's us, Hibiki, Akatsuki, don't you remember?!" Meanwhile Trales was complaining about the lack of popcorn. That about sums up the difference between both sides.

Hibiki soon gave up on attacking and focused on defense, evading Rai's flurry of punches, kicks and tail whips while being chased in circles. It had become obvious how much stronger the Re-Class was, and her priority had always been to stall time for the tram, not to win the fight. She at least proved successful in that regard as their escape vehicle arrived. Or, more accurately, Akat's.

"Akatsuki! Get in and go, I'll hold them off!" Hibiki shouted without looking back at her last ally, who responded with disbelief.

"W-what? But what about you?!"

"It was my fault we deviated from our expedition path that day, and someone needs to stop them from locking down the tram again! Спяшацца (Hurry)! And please, apologize to the commander for me."

Akatsuki stood up; she looked at her path to freedom, then at her two fighting friends; and despite the tears in her eyes, her trembling voice, she loudly proclaimed: "NO. A lady would NEVER leave her friends behind no matter what!"

It was Hibiki's turn to respond with disbelief. "Do you even know what you're saying? There's no way we can escape together! We've already lost Inazuma and Ikazuchi because of me, I don't want to die knowing I doomed you too!"

"And what about how I feel?!" Even Rai had stopped her assault, intrigued by the unexpected development as Akatsuki continued. "You think I can continue living peacefully even if I make it back like this? You're all my bestest friends, you, Inazuma, Ikazuchi, you all mean the world to me! I don't want to live all alone! I CAN'T!"

"A-Akatsuki…" A single tear rolled down Hibiki's cheeks before a familiar syringe ruined the touching moment. Akatsuki stumbled, staring in confusion at the needle which she suddenly found impaled into her shoulder, and fell to her knees before collapsing completely.

"Well you won't have to, sweetie. We won't let you." Victoria walked up to join us, two more anesthesia needles clasped between her fingers like throwing darts, followed by the rest of the search teams. Previously transfixed by the drama, Vicky's appearance reminded me we were supposed to be catching the two Fleet Girls, not watching them profess how close their bonds were.

"Aww, it was just getting good too." Trales complained before whipping out her knife again. It was now 9 against 1, including 3 Res. Hibiki no longer stood even a chance in hell, yet as she wiped away her tears and held up the last remains of her makeshift weapon like a sword, she refused to back down quietly.

"That was very heartwarming, you and her are very lucky to have each other. And those Ina Ika whoevers." Rai solemnly expressed respect…before she grinned and prepared to reengage, tiny sparks once again flying off of her. "Too bad you're still going back in the box!" The arrival of more "audiences" had boosted her enthusiasm and in turn diminished her self control; by comparison, Hibiki was both physically and mentally exhausted, her aura significantly weaker than before. Even without electric powers, one solid blow from Rai would-

Snap.

The already struggling Fleet Girl fell over with a thud. Den stood over her, having just delivered a hand chop to the back of Hibiki's neck; I didn't even notice she'd left my side until then.

"Hey, what gives? She was…mine…" Rai started to object, but she soon stopped after looking at her sister. Without a word Den knelt down, lifted both Fleet Girls over her shoulders, and headed back to the lab. I couldn't see her face, but as she passed me I swear I heard quiet sobbing.

* * *

"Umm…well, case closed I guess, nice job." Vicky shrugged after we watched Den until she disappeared around a corner. "And we recaptured them without leaving any evidence, so no paperwork! YYEEEeaahh wait..." It was then that she noticed the carnage around the tram stop. "…Recette you're cleaning up this mess."

"Eehhh?! Why me? Rai's the one who-"

"It's either this or the paperwork."

"…I'll clean up."

"Me too!" Rai raised a hand, still wanting to help out after her battle was abruptly ended.

"Oh lighten up sister, the work can wait till after the party, I'm sure the kiddies are pretty hungry right about now, I know I am!" Marquis chimed in, reminding us of our interrupted celebrations.

"Party? *gasp* THE CAKE!" As expected, Trales was the first to sprint back at even the implication of dessert.

With the prisoners back in their cell, the party began anew; cake was had, stories were shared, games were played, as if nothing ever happened. Well, not for everyone. Den went back to the mansion alone first, and my mood was rather killed, though I did my best to put on a smile nonetheless. Noel also seemed troubled, though that was probably just my imagination. After a few more hours the party came to a close. Rai and Recette had to tidy up the lab too as punishment, and we left for dinner and early rest.

* * *

The kids are asleep now. Den's still sobbing, tossing and turning from nightmares. I can't see what's in her dreams, but I can make a pretty good guess. It's strange really, her sister had taken the event in stride, with nothing more than a little embarrassment from being tricked so easily, so why is Den reacting so strongly? Perhaps she's just naturally more sentimental, even I was touched by Hibiki's bravery and Akat's loyalty after all, and I barely even knew them. Still, sentimentality doesn't explain why she agreed to letting the prisoners out, she's clearly smarter than that. There IS another explanation I suppose, though it seems highly unlikely.

The next Abyssimilation test will be after the Raiden Sisters have their first sortie, once their equipment is finished. The original plan was to use only one of the girls as we are to use a completely new serum, but after today I convinced Vicky to use both together, with two different serums. Neither will have to be alone then.

It's really late, I'll go wipe away Den's tears and go to bed myself. Good night, Charlotte, Kirsten. I hope you two had the happiest birthday.

* * *

Log Entry 12 – 28/5/20XX, Monday

The Raiden Sisters' equipment is finished, the details of which I'll attach at the end of this log. They've spent the day practicing with their new gear, and will set out for their first patrol tomorrow; I was a little worried for Den, but it seems she's recovered completely from the escape incident. If she says not to worry, I guess I have no reason to then. That's what I reassure myself anyway.

Meanwhile we've begun preparing the two serums for the next test, with more focus on body modifications than Abyss energy usage this time; in the end we decided to use squid (for camouflage) and sea eagle (for flight) DNA for Akat and Hibiki respectively. Wonder how that will turn out.

* * *

Raiden Sisters custom equipment record

_Velocitas Eradico_ – A self-loading railgun turret equipped on the Sisters' tails, powered by their own Electric Aura. 90 degrees rotatable angle. Tests have proved the weapons capable of firing bullet-sized projectiles at up to Mach 8.

_Arthronodes_ – Wrist-mounted tasers for Rai, named after their crab-like design. Capable of conducting electricity from her to whatever is impaled by their electrodes. Output power varies with input. Instead of cable attachment, the electrodes can store power and be shot out with a maximum range of 100 meters for ranged attacks. Each taser holds up to 10 pairs of electrodes and can be easily reloaded by opening the top lid.

_Aegis _– Maglev shields for Den. Levitating shields held and controlled through special bracelets projecting electromagnetic energy. Max distance from bracelets is 3 meters. Shields can be charged with electricity, increasing damage on impact and projecting a strong repulsive EM field capable of slowing metal projectiles to reduce incoming damage. Bottom of shields are fitted with large spikes for added damage.

Tails are also equipped with two 12.5 inch twin secondary cannons and 4 Cuttlefish Torpedoes. Each Sister also carries a backpack of Flying-Fish Dive Bomber droids, though Den has shown much higher proficiency with them than Rai.

Note: Blame Sakuri for the bizarre naming.


	6. Chapter 6 - Secret letter

Dear Commander Okada,

If you're reading this, then I've successfully slipped the USB to one of my former friends and helped her escape nanodesu. Sorry in advance if I end up…umm…hurting her and her team. I swear it couldn't be helped, I'd raise too much suspicion otherwise nanodesu.

It's me, Den uhh I mean Inazuma nanodesu. Sorry, force of habit, but I swear it's me, the messenger will know. Speaking of force of habit I should stop with the nanodesues too, you've always disliked it even though everyone else thought it was adorable, knowing its origin and all. I hope you haven't been worrying too much over us these past three months; I know you love us dearly, but the others are depending on you too, especially now after what the Abyssals have created, so make sure you stay strong for their sake, okay?

If it makes you feel any better, the rest of the 6th DesDiv are here with me, safe and sound. Okay maybe not by regular standards, but we're doing fine. And they're not here with me, like, RIGHT NOW, at least I hope not. Okay I just double-checked, Akkie's not here. Ever since she's gotten her cloaking powers she's been spying on everyone for giggles; I admit I've had my own fair share of fun with my powers, but still... She's also gotten very touchy, and not the emotional kind, the really loves physical contact type; guess it does come naturally with tentacles.

I'm getting ahead of myself aren't I? Okay, let me explain from the beginning. That day, I and the rest of 6th DesDiv were on our weekly expedition as usual. On our way back, Hibiki wanted to visit the place where Satsuki…sunk. It's been several weeks since we've lost her, and as you know, Hibiki never really got over it. She's been a lot quieter, more reserved, we rarely ever saw her smile anymore…maybe she just needed some closure, visiting where Sats spent her last moments protecting her comrades, say our farewells properly.

We got a lot more than we bargained for. None of us had any time to react before a metal maw burst out from the water and chomped down on Akkie's arm; thankfully her cannon saved it from being completely chewed off, but her look of fear and agony was just... Then she surfaced, the infamous Re-Class…or should I say, Satsuki. Both her skin and hair had gone deathly white, and her pretty golden eyes had turned bloody red, but there was no mistaking it, she was Sats.

Ikazuchi was taken out by a tail uppercut before we even remembered we were in danger. Not like we ever stood a chance, Akatsuki had gotten mauled already, Hibiki was having a mental breakdown, and I…well, doesn't matter how mentally prepared I am when I'm physically incompetent. The last thing I remembered was an excruciating pain in my stomach and crimson everywhere as…okay I should skip the nitty gritty.

You can read the details from Mr. Harry's logs that I've attached, but to be brief, we survived, but were abducted to the enemy base. The rumors were right, the Abyssals had recruited humans into their ranks, brains to complement the Abyssals' brawn, and we were to join Satsuki in becoming their lab rats.

The group took the news of our fate differently; Ika had the brightest smile amongst us, though only because she tried her best to deny the problem, insisting you'd lead a charge to come save us or we'd break out by force of will, she even thought we could get Satsuki back on our side; Akkie just fell into a depression, weeping daily, huddled in a corner, probably going through every worst case scenario both possible and impossible in her head, you know how crazy her imagination gets sometimes; Hibiki was angry, at the Abyssals for starting this war, at the humans for what they've done to Satsuki, and at herself for indirectly dragging us into this situation, vowing to get us out of here herself and avenge all the Fleet Girls who've died at the hands of the Abyssals.

As for me, I...I'm ashamed to admit it, but…I chose to accept it. It wasn't even because I saw no chance in escaping, if anyone could think of a plan it was Hibiki. It's just that I was so…I was so sick of fighting! I was sick of war, having to fight against enemies that used to be my allies, not knowing whether the next Abyssal I faced was once someone I knew personally! Sick of meeting new people, establishing closer bonds, sharing moments both happy and sad, only for them to be shot to pieces one day right in front of me or their friends!

But war is the fate of all Fleet Girls, isn't it? We were created for it after all. Even after death there's no escape, we simply switch sides and fight again, this time for the rest of eternity unless we're lucky enough to sink where no salvage team will find us, or be somehow reduced to smithereens. But there was still the next best thing: forgetting.

There were two reasons I agreed to allow myself and my sister to become Fleet Girls. The first was gratitude for rescuing us from those people. The second was because it would help us forget; our past, our conscience, all the things that didn't matter for human weapons. It didn't really work out for me did it?

Yet it worked for Ika. When she woke me up in the construction bay, for the first time in 2 years I saw a smile on her face, not forced but genuine. And no matter what I had to go through, seeing her each day back to her cheerful old self like before all that happened, I knew my decision was worth it.

On the day of our capture though, once again I was presented with an opportunity, another chance to put it all behind me. The nightmares, the guilt, to wipe it all away and bring back the carefree naïve days of my childhood with my sister and friends. Plus, the war will stop haunting me once I've been brainwashed into thinking it's all a game or some kind of righteous crusade, right? That was how it seemed to be for most everyone else. One day I would fall in battle and become an Abyssal anyway, it's inevitable, so why not treasure the chance to do so with my sister and two best friends, be together at least?

Alas, it was not to be, not entirely. One day I simply woke up to one of my captor's beaming face, and found I had a sentient tail now. The bliss of ignorance evaded me once more, and I found myself still remembering every detail. Somehow against all odds, I had become possibly the only Abyssal in the world to remember my past lives, not even just as a Fleet Girl but as a human. And I didn't feel lucky.

Suffice it to say, I wasn't the only one dismayed. Akkie looked about ready to burst into tears again when she saw us, whimpering our names repeatedly as if that would change us back until Hibiki calmed her down. I wanted to tell them I remembered, let them know I was still…well, me, but at the same time I didn't. If they knew, I'd be obligated to help them escape, when in all honesty I wanted them to stay here with me, however selfish my wish was. In the end I chose to act dumb, though I still couldn't resist playing along with Hibiki's escape plan, they deserved the chance.

All that was two months ago. Soon after my first live sortie with Ika they were Abyssimilated too. At least now they're back to their old selves, even Hibiki. Their body modifications are REALLY cool too, Hibiki has a big pair of wings on her back now, and when she activates her Aura she genuinely looks like a majestic Phoenix! She's always been proud of that nickname, now she can live it! Meanwhile Akkie can change color to become nigh invisible now, not just herself but also objects that she touches like clothes and stuff, which is pretty convenient, though her powers do have the most mischief potential. She could never help indulging in childish delights no matter how lady-like she insisted she was, could she?

But I digress. The Abyssals have become exponentially more powerful since then as research picked up speed, far more than simply the increase in Aura Abyssals or Re-Classes that you guys observed. Those mass disappearances of Fleet Girls lately? They weren't simply sunk. We've begun capturing more Fleet Girls alive, abducting them down here for Abyssimilation experiments and…umm…live target practice. That's why none of the military have seen the new Abyssals or equipment that's been developed, it's all being tested within the base. Oh and that island chain that was vaporized? That was the Princesses' practicing. Yeah.

As such to even the odds a bit, I've revealed the base's location to you as my last act of gratitude for taking care of us all those years, on behalf of Sats, the 6th DesDiv and everyone else, as I'm sure they'd be grateful if they still remembered you. I've heard the rumors of how some Admirals treat their Fleet Girls, and I'm just glad we were stationed at the right Naval Base. What you do with this information is up to you.

However, know that I won't be fighting for you.

During my first days as a Fleet Girl, Miss Tenryuu told me no matter who the Abyssals once were, they're now just mindless zombies, mere shells of their former selves, and sinking them would put their souls to rest, so there was no need to feel mercy or guilt. I tried to believe her, but now I know she was far from the truth.

They may have lost their memories, and they may look different, but in many ways they're still who they once were. Sats is still an energetic tomboy who enjoys a good fight, happy-go-lucky Ika's still ever doting of her "parents" and loves to feel important, Akkie still has her "lady" pride, and Hibiki still acts cool and stoic to mask her shyness. It's not just us modified Abyssals neither, there's Ru-Class "Rock n' Roll" Rosalin who dyed her hair streaks of electric blue and plays an electric guitar; Ri-Class "Paparazzi" Rithe publishes her own on-base newspaper (I think she hired Akkie to spy for gossip); Chi-Class "Kitty" Chibi acts like a kitten, she even meows instead of talking most of the time; then there's Wo-Class Willow the master painter, vengeful Ta-Class Tannah whose best friend was captured by humans and had horrible things done to her, the list goes on. They each have their own personalities, companions, hobbies, dreams, LIVES, just like Fleet Girls and humans. There is no excuse left for me to end them.

Of course I won't be fighting against you neither, don't worry. Even during our sorties I've done little more than block incoming fire, Ika and the other Abyssals did all the damage. I would've tried to stop my sister but we had to look convincing…sorry about the Hatsuharu-Class and Yuugumo-Class girls…I'm sure it was quick and painless…

Instead, when the place gets chaotic enough I'll escape with Ika and whoever else will go with us, though it's unlikely anyone will abandon the fight, including Ika. Nothing a good karate chop and story won't do for her though. Well, maybe Mr. Harry will come along and help convince the others, he never seemed the fighting type despite that sledgehammer he carries around.

He's taken really good care of us by the way, that Mr. Harry, and everyone else were pretty friendly too. I'd have thought the humans who turncoat to the Abyssals would be really evil, but it's actually quite the opposite. Most of the reasons they came here were pretty ordinary too: pay was good, thought it'd be fun, for science…it's really just a merry band of talented misfits with nothing better to do. At least that's how it is for the research and engineering teams, I don't really know about our Admirals. I guess bored misfits ARE more trustworthy for the Abyssals than actual evil people when I think about it.

You know, Mr. Harry reminds me of you actually, a rough exterior with a kind heart inside, a loving father who lost his children. I wonder if he's compensating his loss with us. One time he even accidentally called me by his daughter's name. Remember when you did the same thing with Ika, and she just started hugging and comforting you like "There there, it's okay, I'm sure she's watching over you like I am right now" in the middle of the hallway while you were trying to explain it was just a random slip of the tongue, and people passing by stared at you two wondering why a teenage girl was comforting a grown man? That was the most adorably awkward thing I've ever seen! Too bad I didn't have the guts to reenact that with Mr. Harry, it would've been cute. Well his daughter's not…hasn't actually passed away or anything, I guess it wouldn't have worked.

Hmm, I wonder what we'll do once we escape. I kind of want to come back and live with you, but I doubt the Fleet Girls or other people will trust us. Maybe we can stay on a deserted island somewhere while we wait for the war to end…but there'd be no stable source of metal for us to eat. Ahh, what to do…

Okay, time's running short, I should wrap this up before someone comes back. You can read through the logs to check the info on the Abyssals' new creations and whatever we've been up to lately, make your preparations. May these records reach you safely.

While there are things I wish to forget, I'm glad I can remember you forever, and may our paths cross again in a more peaceful time. Thank you, for everything.

Your secretary ship,

Inazuma


	7. Chapter 7 - Imminent confrontation

Log Entry 21 – 16/7/20XX, Monday

Another escape attempt today, miscalculated the dosage and Hamakaze pretended to sleep until transfer when… ah it doesn't matter too much, Dawn… "subdued" her within minutes. Still, I can't help but feel we're getting too lax with the security, it's been the third escape attempt this month already, even if each was dealt with far faster than Verniy's ruse way back when. Gotta hand it to her, she got further as a mere Destroyer than Cruisers and even Carriers, granted it was still a stroke of dumb luck she found the tram that fast. All that detective work and Trales calls it in first, of all people. For once I wish my planning would actually do something before someone completely overrides it.

In other news we sent off the Shark Trio to one of the other bases. By now each Abyssal headquarters around the globe is stocked with their own division of Chimeras, as we've come to call the modified Abyssals, and a global surprise attack against key Guardian Offices will begin in a month or so, hopefully crippling the military forces and taking out their aces, forcing a surrender sooner. Quite frankly I think biding our time to build our fleet further would've been safer, but with two bases close to being pinpointed already (I overhead that from the Admirals) and the already vastly increased firepower of troops deployed, the guys in charge think it best to rush now before the human military counters, or something like that. They do have more info than I do about this kind of stuff, so I guess they know what they're doing.

Starting to get used to living with five ankle biters in the same room. Sure I'm used to kids and all, but this many together, even if they're older and take care of each other just fine, is a pretty new experience. Suffice it to say the place gets quite crowded, though thankfully we're getting a bigger room to accommodate our numbers on Thursday. Funny how Rai wanting to stay with me ended up with five roommates in total, not that I mind the lively company.

Everyone at the base's been bustling with energy after the assault preparations announcement. For the Abyssals, some are ecstatic over getting a huge showdown instead of the small-scale guerilla warfare they've been doing, while others are just hoping this will finally end the war and they can set about being the master race of the planet. As for us humans, we've had our workload increased to get the fleet's firepower as high as possible before the attack. Trales and Marquis' been complaining about the heavier workload, but to me, quite frankly it's only begun to feel like a real job now instead of a leisurely school club. That doesn't mean I don't miss the more relaxing days of course.

None of the kids seem to share in my worries, Den excluded perhaps. Dawn's been waiting for "a true battle for a true lady" for quite some time, unsatisfied with the practice fights we've been giving her, even when we armed her opponents properly with two or three against one; Verniy's longing to spread her wings and soar through the open sky again, admittedly it really has been far too long since we let the bird out of the cage, the first and only time so far being that test flight; Recette just loves skirmishes to begin with, the bigger and rowdier the better. Rai is of course overly excited about getting a chance to "make me proud" as she puts it, though her sister seems troubled, not entirely due to the impending assault I think. While the others have been frequenting the training grounds more and more to the point where we're running out of "practice ships" due to increasing accidental kills, she's been wandering around the base more than usual, staring at her companions as if judging them, sometimes I see her just sitting alone in a corner deep in thought. Perhaps she's simply afraid of facing her former friends, or of her new allies slaughtering her old ones, maybe even what she and her friends will do after the war ends, I don't know, though I'd like to.

Meanwhile, the Engineers have set up automatic production for regular Re-Class gear and are now working on upgrading the Chimera Division's weapons over regular armaments due to time constraints for production. Jackson himself has been nowhere to be seen for the past two weeks or so, working on some secret project while locked up in his "man cave", as Sakuri calls his private workshop. Speaking of Sakuri she's been looking a bit pale and sickly lately, though at little loss to her usual energeticness. Maybe she just caught a summer cold?

As for me, I'm not looking too forward to the big confrontation myself, though I never was much of a fan of battles to begin with. At least I know Charlotte and Kirsten are safely inland, and the contract did promise to keep family members of us human staff unharmed during and after the war. Hopefully that wasn't a lie, but from what I've seen the Abyssals are trustworthy enough, however biased this observation may be to ease my own mind.

* * *

For a second just now I thought I heard Kirsten's soft snoring again, though turning around to check made me remember it was just Dawn. The five are sound asleep right now after a long day of training (or thinking in Den's case), all piled over each other on the same bed. I've repeatedly offered them my own bed, not like the sofa's an unfamiliar substitute of one for me anyway, but they keep declining, not wanting to inconvenience me with their own "stubbornness" of staying here instead of the barracks like everyone else. Honestly I'd expect this kind of thoughtfulness from the Raiden Sisters, or even Recette and Verniy, but DAWN giving up the luxury of having her own bed was surprising. At the very least I'm pretty sure she has motives other than not "inconveniencing" me.

Seeing how innocent and peaceful they look right now, it's hard to believe each of them has a 10+ kill count against the FGs right now, sans Den who still hasn't slain anyone so far. Heck I can count the number of HITS she's landed on FGs with my fingers, though she's taken down countless enemy plane droids with her own and was skilled and fast enough to block practically every significant attack from her foes, so it's clearly not due to incompetence as some others seem to think.

Soon these cute little killers will be partaking in the big battle royale that's probably going to decide the fate of this entire war and all of humanity and Abyssals alike; meanwhile all we humans can do is sit back and watch. Whatever the result, I just hope they'll return alive and well.

* * *

Log Entry 22 – 18/7/20XX, Wednesday

This may or may not be my last entry. If someone other than myself is currently reading this, then it most likely is. In such a case, I hope you've enjoyed my little tale, and you may do with this laptop and the information within what you will. But before that I suppose I'll explain what has led up to this sudden doom prophecy.

* * *

The day started normal enough, though they always do really. We humans started work on the broken "practice ships" for conversion into Battleships and Res, the Chimeras set off for more training; same schedule as usual, besides packing up the dorm for our little house moving tomorrow.

Den walked in later during the day, again not having participated in any training.

"Another tiring day at work nanodesu?" She asked, peeking over my shoulder while I was reading some documents. With a shrug I responded, "I've had worse during my college days. Besides, shouldn't you be having a tiring day of practice as well?"

Avoiding the question, she glanced at the clock just as it struck 7. "It's almost dinner time nanodesu. Hey, wanna go watch the sunset together while we eat? That should be pretty relaxing!" With little reason to decline, we each grabbed a sandwich from our respective cafeterias and headed for the beach, though not before giving Den a big cloak to hide her tail in.

* * *

The sun had just come in contact with the horizon when we arrived, illuminating the sky in a fiery orange, ocean waves tipped with flickers of gold. It's been a long while since I've gone out for a sunset instead of late night walks under the stars and moon; Den was right, it was a very relaxing view to have a little dinner picnic to, and for a while we just sat there together in silence, enjoying the sights and sounds while munching on our sandwiches.

Eventually she asked out of the blue, "So, what are you planning to do once this is all over nanodesu? Go back to your real family with your salary?"

"There's no real or fake, you're all as much family to me as Charlotte and Kirsten, alright?" I gazed out at the setting sun, which was then almost halfway below the horizon. "As for my plans after the war…I suppose it's something like what you said." That was what I responded, but in truth I wasn't so sure. As much as I'd love to have the girls back, they don't belong to me anymore, but with the wife and that condo wanker. What can I do, just go in, pick them up and leave? Or maybe the wife will just change her mind and come back to me again after she sees my newfound dosh. Of course Den and the others don't know about the divorce and such, they probably think the wife and kids are sitting at home waiting anxiously for me to bring back the bacon.

Her next question was a tad more bizarre. "Umm…this is all just theoretical, but…if ever you were in danger, and you have the chance to just escape instead of fighting it out…which would you choose?"

I thought for a moment. "It would depend on whether my loved ones were in danger as well. If it was just I alone, flight would be the better option, but if my family or friends are threatened then I'll defend them no matter the cost. Sounds unrealistically noble doesn't it?"

"Unrealistically noble would be defending anyone, not just your acquaintances nanodesu." With that she looked away from me back at the sunset with a mysterious smile, though that quickly turned back into the troubled frown she's been wearing so often recently.

"Den, what are you trying to hide?" Unable to stand her secrecy I finally asked out loud; a few minutes of internal conflict for her followed while I silently waited, giving her all the time she needed. When she eventually opened her mouth to speak however, my walkie-talkie sparked to life, getting in the way of the answers I awaited; well, more accurately, I still was to get my answer, just from a different source.

"HARRY, WHERE ARE YOU YA KNUCKLEHEAD?" Sakuri's voice blasted out of the receiver with more urgency than I've ever seen or heard her in, though I'd consider it justified in this case. "Y'know what, I don't care, just haul your ass down to the meeting room, EMERGEN-FRIGGIN-CY!"

* * *

"Our position has been compromised." Alexandrea announced to her audience, the other 17 humans on site (that fatcat Kennedy fled the second he found out about the raid), the Chimeras and the Princesses. The only female Admiral we have here, she's also the most normal of the bunch besides Anton perhaps, though that's in comparison to a hooded assassin-looking guy, a pirate captain, a samurai and a knight. Even with the big slash scar over her face she's still pleasant to look at, though her regular easy-going expression was nowhere to be found today.

"According to our informants in the military, our location has been discovered, possibly leaked from internally, and navies from around the world have deployed some of their best Fleet Girl units against us. Recon planes have already confirmed the approaching armada, and it's estimated they'll arrive by 1200 tomorrow."

She gave a long overly detailed description of the defense plan afterwards, but to keep it brief, the area around the island and base would be divided into 5 zones, E1 E2 and so on, with E1 the furthest away and E5 being the waters above the base itself. Each zone would be defended by one Admiral's fleet, as well as two Princesses and their Demons sans E1. One fleet will remain within the base as reserve or in case any enemies break through into here somehow. The Res will be guarding E4 and E5. As for the Chimeras, Verniy will assault groups of weaker targets like Destroyers and Light Cruisers while providing air support against enemy plane droids, Dawn is on anti-sub duty as well as picking off weakened or lone FGs that she comes across, while the Raiden Sisters were to act as snipers with their railguns from the island until any significant threat enters E5, at which point they'll engage up close. As for us humans, we'll simply stay within the base for the most part and maybe aid the Abyssals guarding here, not like we can do much else.

After a little more discussion and bickering we were dismissed, the Admirals to brief their fleets, the Chimeras to some last minute training and the rest of us back to our stations. We were instructed to keep an eye on each other as well, to hopefully identify the traitor. It seems everyone believes it's one of us humans, looking at each other with varying levels of suspicion, but I suppose it's for the best, they won't guess the truth this way; if they do, it'd only make things worse.

* * *

I'm not really sure what to think right now. A battle royale was expected, but not here, not now. Perhaps all will go well, the invading coalition forces defeated with our new and advanced arsenal, crippling the human military in the process; but life's never so simple, especially not in the middle of an alien war. What should I do, hide in the labs until this blows over? That would probably be the sensible thing to do, but I can't, not when the kids will be out there fighting for their lives and ours. But what can a mere human like myself do? I've never even gotten into a fight since I've arrived, unless Sakuri and Anton curbstomping Tannah's goons while I stood there like a dumb wanker counts. Speaking of fights though, what would happen if the Fleet Girls do manage to break in? Would they see us as prisoners to be saved, criminals to be arrested, or terrorists to be destroyed? Even with a weapon capable of doing some damage, I doubt my odds in a head-on battle. Still, I can't just sit here with my arms crossed willy-nilly though, there has to be SOMETHING I can do to help.

Den just walked in and asked to talk to me in private; perfect timing, I was going to look for her after finishing this. The most dangerous day of my life begins tomorrow. May I live to write another day.

* * *

With a deep breath, Harrison closed his laptop and turned to face the betrayer who he considered an adoptive daughter.

"You know, don't you?" The girl asked, already knowing the answer but not the implications. Her "father" of two months replied with a simple nod. In silence they stared at each other for a moment, alone together in his bedroom; nothing more was said, but she understood the unspoken question. "It was repayment nanodesu, to a man I owe a lot to. But please don't misunderstand, I don't plan on fighting against you or my friends or anyone."

"Then what DO you plan on doing?" He asked, with none of the anger which the girl expected, only a sense of resigned curiosity. It was too late to stop the approaching army anyway, and he knew she bore no ill will. All he wanted now was to understand.

"I want to escape from here, from the fighting and war, with my sister and anyone else who's willing to come along…but I'm not sure I can do it alone nanodesu."

"Just tell me what I can do to help then."

Den looked at Harrison incredulously. "R-Really? You'll help me? But wouldn't that be betraying-"

"I was never here due to loyalty to the Abyssal cause to begin with, just whimsy during dark times and a need for change. Plus, a battlefield is no place for schoolchildren, even alien cyborg ones." The man interrupted with a shrug. Aiding an escape plan sure beats hiding somewhere twiddling his fingers while waiting for a fight he can do little about to end.

The young Abyssal's disbelief soon turned to joy; he did remind her of Commander Okada, more father than commander to her, a man who cared more about his subordinates' wellbeing than any orders or rules, who always took defensive tactics and ordered retreats any time someone was critically wounded even at the cost of an important mission unlike so many other admirals, not caring how much flak he takes for it as long as those under his charge return alive; only this time the stakes may be even higher than being demoted or fired.

"T-thanks, you have no idea how much this means to me, I swear I'll repay you one day somehow. Alright then, here's the plan…"

* * *

Meanwhile, at the docks, another conversation between a young girl and a grown man ensued, though this one of a more sinister nature.

"I heard she's in the coalition force, your precious little girl." The two had crossed paths by coincidence as each was returning to their post. "Gonna do what I think you're gonna do, big guy? I hope you can handle it."

"The battlefield is not unfamiliar to me. And you?" Their eyes never met, simply standing beside each other facing opposite directions, as if talking to the air or themselves.

"Me?" The girl gently patted the menacing sniper rifle strapped on her back, its black alloy deathly cold to the touch, but she was used to the sensation. "I've got my own score to settle."

It was then that she suddenly retched, her attempt at sounding "badass" as she would call it interrupted further by a coughing fit afterwards as drops of crimson hit the ground. Her temporary company only raised an eyebrow in response. "H-heh. What great timing." She wiped away the blood still dripping down her chin, a grin returning to her face as the two continued on their separate ways.

* * *

Throughout the bustling Abyssal headquarters, other plans and operations were underway as well.

Within a certain workshop:

"Dagnabit damnit! There ain't enough time left for fine tuning! Ah well, what kinda rodeo would life be without a few bucks and kicks along the way, eh? Alright boys let's get going, these prototypes don't finish themselves!"

* * *

Within the laboratory:

"A lesser scientist would see this as an obstacle to her research, but what I see is one hell of an opportunity!"

"Lookin' awfully lively there sister, what kinda hare-brained scheme ya got this time?"

"Can't we just stay here sis? We're talking about fully armed Fleet Girls here, not some weaponless captives! And shouldn't we wait until everyone's here first?"

"Oh don't be such a killjoy Ricky, we can fill them in later! Now come on, tell us what you've got in mind Vicky! The suspense is killing me!"

"Alright then, listen up! We're catching ourselves a BATTLESHIP!"

* * *

Within a secluded room:

"So you're saying those two are the traitors?"

"Indeed, the evidence adds up. However we must keep this knowledge a secret and confront the betrayers ourselves to avoid unnecessary alarm amongst the others until after the situation has been resolved. Wouldn't want to increase mistrust amongst your kind during this critical point in time, would we?"

"You'd better not be lying, but if it's THAT guy…should've killed the bastard back then. Well then, human, what do you have in mind?"

* * *

12 hours remained before the battle that will decide the fate of humanity, Fleet Girls and Abyssals alike.

**Authors Note - This is the end of Harrison's log entries, but not the end of the story. However the big battle royale will be written in third person like the last bit above. Hopefully you've enjoyed this story so far, as it reaches the grand finale.**


	8. Chapter 8 - War

Six Destroyer sisters sailed on within the blazing battlefield, led by their eldest, a Fleet Girl named Fubuki. The sounds of gun fire and explosions roared on around them. She wasn't sure how she and her sisters managed to break through the enemy's first line of defense so quickly when the battle began, though to be honest with herself it felt more like they were let in than having actually fought their way through. All the remotely threatening enemies had gone for other targets, leaving only Abyssal Destroyers and Light Cruisers to face them, all of which posed little threat to an experienced squad such as themselves.

Still, even if it didn't feel like they "earned" their way in, it was still a stroke of luck she couldn't have even dreamed of, and it gave them a chance to fulfill their objective more easily, which was to take out the Carriers that were deploying planes from deeper in and destroy as many supply transport ships as they could find. Unlike the legends such as "Island Wind" Shimakaze or "Plasmabolt" Inazuma and the 6thDesDiv she belongs to, none of the Fubuki girls were particularly well known despite a high mission success rate; they were good, but not good enough. Perhaps their smooth sailing so far was some sort of sign, Fubuki thought. Yes, no doubt about it, even the heavens were aiding them, this battle was their chance to make a name for themselves, their moment to shine! Maybe someone will make a movie about the battle and she'll be the protagonist! Okay even she herself had to admit that was a little too wishful for now, but that didn't stop her feeling giddy all over just thinking about it.

As if on cue, they spotted their first target, a small group Nu-Class Light Carrier Elites and Wa-Class Transport Ships. The Nu-Classes were taking chunks of black metal stored within the Was' spherical bodies, chomping down on them with their monstrous maws. Within seconds, a fresh batch of fighter droids had already been created within and released from their mouths, soaring off towards the front line. Fortunately for the Destroyers, none of them had noticed the six yet.

"Hahah, these chumps won't know what hit them! Woohoo~!" One of the sisters, Miyuki, sped towards their target with gusto. Always so reckless, that girl, Fubuki thought as she shook her head. Still, she couldn't help but smile, her sister's enthusiasm so contagious, and it's not like there were other threats close by this time anyway, nothing else in sight nor on sonar. "Everyone, are you ready? Let's go!" With a little battle cry she charged after Miyuki along with her sisters. However, despite being the eldest and the leader, it was their youngest, Murakumo, who noticed something wrong instead of her.

The odd one out amongst her sister ships and the receiving end of many an adoption jokes, Murakumo has always resented looking so different from her siblings, especially the strange ear-like receptors floating next to her head, which made her stand out even more so than her silver hair; hair could be dyed at least. But it was these receptors she despised so much that would come to her aid this time.

At the back of their formation, amidst the already loud noises of the open ocean and battle, she alone heard an unnatural splash behind her, as if something had just surfaced. Quickly turning around, her blood ran cold when she saw a Ru-Class Battleship emerging from the waters, her golden aura indicating her Flagship status (though she wasn't sure what the streaks of blue in her otherwise raven black hair meant), and half a dozen more elite Light Cruisers poking their heads out from beneath the surface; in their haste, the young Fleet Girls had forgotten about the Abyssal signal jammers mentioned during the briefing, and rushed right into a trap when their sonars detected nothing.

Worse was yet to come however. Just as Murakumo was about to shout out to her sisters, something made her hesitate. The Ru-Class and her entourage had suddenly stopped rising; the half-submerged battleship was staring up at her…no not at her, something behind her, something up in the sky. With urgency the Ru motioned with her hand and the entire ambush squad dived back into the ocean as fast and sudden as when they emerged. The confused Fleet Girl turned back around and looked up, with only enough time to utter one word after she registered what she saw.

"SCATTER!"

The girls sprinted aside, acting on instinctive trust of their sister. They didn't know what they were scattering from, but that was answered quickly enough; within a second, what could only be described as a hailstorm of fire rained down from the sky; it only lasted for a few seconds, but to the victims, it felt like an eternity. When the sudden assault finally ended and Fubuki looked up to search for the source, all she caught was a glimpse of some kind of massive flaming bird disappear back into the clouds.

"I-Is everyone okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Y-Yeah…Oww...ouch…."

"My gun's busted, but I guess I'm okay."

"Just a few scratches."

The eldest sister breathed a sigh of relief, but it was painfully short-lived. "Wait, where's Miyuki?"

"Right here, kid." Instead of Miyuki's cheerful voice however, the one they heard was more mature and sinister. Where their sister once was now stood the Ru-Class and her squad of Light Cruisers, with a familiar Fleet Girl slung over her shoulder, which she carelessly tossed to the speechless Destroyers. Feather-like blades, their flame-like aura dissipated, stuck out from the limp bloodied body; she had been too far ahead to hear Murakumo's warning.

"M-Miyuki?" Fubuki held the girl in her arms, shaking her, trying to wake her up, but she knew it was far too late. "N-No…This can't…" This battle was supposed to be their moment to show everyone what they were capable of, their claim to fame, she was so sure of it, and yet before they even engaged their first objective…Tears flowed down her cheeks, and it was only until she heard the clank of a cannon loading that she even remembered where she was.

"The hell you're all losing your minds over? This is war, people die! You halflings kill us daily and don't bat an eye, but when one of you die it's like 'OH THIS CAN'T BE, HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!'" The Ru mocked her grieving opponents. She herself was no stranger to loss, fellow Abyssals that she grew close to simply disappearing after going out on patrol or sortie; even with the salvage teams, things like that aren't uncommon. No one says anything, but they all know what happened, and it's something that everyone dealt with their own way, such as distracting themselves with music, at least in her case.

As superior as true Abyssals were in most aspects, there was still something for her to be jealous about of the half-Abyssals known as Fleet Girls; at least after death they'll reawaken as Abyssals, given a second chance at life, even if at the cost of their memories. The halflings themselves knew all that, yet they still chose to hunt and slay their former allies, people they knew were once their own kind, without remorse or hesitation; and when they capture one, well…she didn't dare even imagine what ole' Tannah saw or even went through herself to make her the way she is now. She used to be a freaking peace advocator for f*ck's sake! It was the Fleet Girls' own fault for any of this, for staying loyal to the humans despite how they're treated (Tannah's most likely biased stories aside, even some of the navy crewmen's own blogs tell similar if watered-down tales), for perpetuating a war with essentially their own brethren. They deserved no pity.

"If it makes any of you feel better, I can assure you you'll all be joining her soon."

As the front line of the Abyssal defense force slowly crumbled beneath overwhelming force, the first Fleet Girl casualties in the Battle of Iron Bottom Sound had also occurred. Many more would follow before the final shot was fired.

* * *

"Sounds like those Abyss punks are being pushed back pretty well! This is gonna be a cinch!" Tenryuu lounged back on her seat and took a big gulp of fuel oil as she listened to the radio.

"Ah, I wouldn't be so sure of that dear Tenryuu." Her sister, Tatsuta, chided in her sing-song voice while polishing her glaive. "There's barely been reports of any Flagships and zero sightings of Re-Classes, not to mention the corrupted 6th Destroyer Division. The Anchorage and Armored Carrier Princesses retreating so quickly also seems odd, no?"

"The battle's only just begun, Tenryuu. Even you aren't naïve enough to think sieging an Abyssal headquarters would be easy, are you?" Shiranui added flatly, adjusting her gloves.

"Oh come on, we have some of our best girls down there fighting right now! Heck, even two of the Big 7 are here! Man, if they'd just send the other 5 as well we'd be done by now!" Tenryuu remained unconvinced of her enemy's power.

"The other 5 must stay behind to defend our key Guardian Offices from ambush. I and my sister Mutsu will already be enough for this mission. No doubt she is already leading the fleet to victory below us as we prepare to infiltrate from the air." Nagato declared, sitting next to her equally confident friend.

While the Fleet Girls have successfully pushed the Abyssals back to E-3, a single military transport plane flew high above the clouds, carrying the four special task force members. They were to land on the island while the Abyss Fleet was occupied and destroy the base from within, hopefully rescuing prisoners, cutting off supplies, sabotaging their repair docks and capturing their commanders. It was unlikely anyone would expect Fleet Girls attacking from the air beyond the use of drones which couldn't fly that high anyway, but there was still one particular obstacle.

"So, dear Tenryuu, what do you think of what the Admiral said, about little Satsuki and the 6th Destroyer Division?" Tatsuta's change of topic quickly wiped the cocky smirk off her sister's face. "He even let you and you alone read her letter! Ahh, I think I might be feeling a little jealous!"

The eye-patched Light Cruiser stayed silent for a good while before she finally decided not to decide. "…I'll wait till I see them for myself first."

"No need to wait, one's here now." Shiranui was looking out the window from the corner of her eye, surprisingly unalarmed yet with a hint more interest than before. Excluding Tatsuta who remained perfectly serene, the other two scrambled over to their side for a look.

"I do not understand, there is nothing outside." Nagato seemed confused while Tenryuu frantically scanned the skyline, though she couldn't find anything of interest beyond some storm clouds in the far distance. Eventually she finally gave up and looked away from the window to find Tatsuta and Shiranui already fully geared and wearing their parachutes. Nagato was fumbling around with hers in a struggle to fit both her bulky turret mounts and parachute on together.

"Suit up, dear, it's time to go~"

* * *

The transport capsule was launched just in time, a few seconds late and it would've been torn apart by the hail of metal shards along with the plane and all of its occupants. With its thrusters activated, the capsule flew towards the island, disappearing into the foliage and exploding violently soon afterwards; to an outsider it would've appeared as an oversized missile that missed its target by a long shot, but in reality, the explosive warhead had separated from the actual transport chamber, and the four Fleet Girls made a rough but successful landing amongst the woodlands.

Nagato jumped down first from the chamber hanging from the trees by its parachutes, followed by Shiranui, Tatsuta and finally Tenryuu, who was feeling a bit dizzy from banging her head on a wall during the crash. "Aww, little Tenryuu bumped her head! Do you need a little kiss to feel better?" "Shaddup." The eye-patched girl waved off her sister's teasing. "Where are we right now anyway?"

"Southwest from the building I believe. We must hurry, the Phoenix will be in pursuit." Ironically amongst two Light Cruisers and a Big 7 Battleship, it was the Destroyer who took charge, her gloved hand beckoning the rest to follow.

* * *

A winged Abyssal landed at the crash site. Folding up the black metallic wings that contrasted perfectly with her snowy white skin and hair, she began investigating the scene; she had guessed correctly, that was a transport pod, the explosives were a distraction. Her quarry probably left the site a few minutes ago; however since she couldn't use her infra-red vision while flying (it was less can't and more doesn't want to as her eyes become more sensitive to the flowing air while infra-red is active and it stings very badly) she'll just have to track them on foot, or on talons in her case. With the battlefield getting denser as it tightens around the island, it'd be difficult to perform an Obsidian Storm without friendly fire by then anyway, and she's not as proficient with her crossbow as she'd like to be. Well there WAS still her guided missile launcher…but this hunt was more fun.

With her mind made up she began following the trail, namely the heavy footprints of a certain Battleship. Should she call the guards still within the base first? Nah, she can handle this herself. Everyone will definitely be impressed once they find out she took 4 would-be intruders down on her own!

* * *

An Abyssal Torpedo Cruiser named Chibi stood guard in E-4, her cat ears and tail accessories making her especially stand out from the several Wo and Ri-Classes accompanying her. The weather wasn't particularly hot, but she was sweating all over; yes she's been in plenty of sorties before, yes she has Flagship level power, but no she didn't feel prepared for this battle at ALL. As experienced as she was in combat, there was no question that she'd take napping under a kotatsu over fighting anyone any day, much less participate in some massive catfight like this. Countless on both sides were dying out there RIGHT NOW! And soon the battle will reach her no doubt. While the heavily reinforced E-3 defense force were doing a good job holding most invaders back, already some are leaking through into E-4. The Cruiser sighed and cuddled her motorbike Bikey. Myaah, why can't everyone just get along and eat yummy sashimi together or something instead of hurting each other?

No sooner after that thought was finished, she spotted something heading towards her from E-3 with incredible speed. Already? She whined internally and prepared to engage. It wasn't some kind of torpedo though, it was…a Fleet Girl? At that kind of speed? And what were those little robot things next to her? Whatever they were they looked…kinda cute actually, if it wasn't for the GUNS on their heads!

While the Torpedo Cruiser was still trying to make sense of the sight, the Wos had already launched a barrage of Fighter and Bomber Droids. To their unpleasant surprise, the mysterious bunny-eared Fleet Girl and her three minions effortlessly avoided the attack, even shooting down the droids with expert precision while maintaining their velocity. The four attackers fanned out, flanking the Abyssal group.

The fight that followed couldn't have been more one-sided. Despite nearly two dozen plane droids, multiple torpedoes and non-stop gunfire against her, the Fleet Girl and her little turret familiars were far too agile, gracefully evading and countering every attack, as if performing some sort of dance of death.

"Eheheh, you're all so slow!"

A torpedo to the back, a shot through the chest; Chibi could only watch in horror as her surrounding allies fell one by one, their dying screams echoing in her ears, until only she remained, and not exactly in very good condition. Even enhanced by her golden Aura, she was outmaneuvered, outnumbered, outmatched. After a bold but ultimately futile struggle, it ended as searing pain pierced through her mind, blue blood gushing from a new bullet wound in her right shoulder, and poor Bikey grinded to a halt as a shot blasted through its engine.

With victory assured, the attackers finally ceased their acrobatics; the Fleet Girl walked up to the exhausted and bloodied Abyssal, gently pressing the business end of her firearm against her defeated opponent's forehead.

"You did pretty well y'know? But no one can keep up with me! Well, your friends are hurrying over right now and I need to go greet them, so…buh-bye!"

Out of the corner of her eye, the Abyssal could see a group of stronger reinforcements hurrying towards her, but they were just too far away to save her in time. Losing all hope, Chibi could only close her eye tightly, awaiting the inevitable. Perhaps her body may be found by the salvage subs and she will reawaken someday, even if it's to another battlefield, long as she can be there with some friends. If not, at least her life was fun while it lasted.

BOOM.

* * *

"RENSOUHOU-CHAN!"

When she heard the explosion but the pain expected never came, the Torpedo Cruiser opened her eye again; her would-be executioner had looked away, staring in wide-eyed surprise and horror at the blown up remains of one turret familiar. Strange, she was sure they were out of firing range of the reinforcements. Then another shot came, and another, piercing straight through the other two minions' heads. Dumbfounded and distraught at the sudden loss of her pets, the Fleet Girl was brought back to reality just a bit too late by the touch of cold steel pressed against her temple.

"Sorry, this kitty still has 6 lives left."

Bang.

* * *

Both the Abyssal and the Fleet Girl had been right about being out of firing range of the reinforcements. But there was more to look out for than them. Perched on top of a tree by the beach, a lone girl watched through her scope as Shimakaze's lifeless body toppled and sank beneath the ocean waves. So that was the infamous Island Wind. She was faster than imagined, but also cockier. All that was needed was to wait for her little moment of triumph, when she let her guard down under the illusion of safety. Of course it would've been simpler to headshot her directly, but poor Chibi deserved her revenge.

Really though, where were the two snipers who were SUPPOSED to be there? It's been hours already! Ah well who cares, the two Little Sister knuckleheads are probably still clinging on to their Big Daddy or something. It might even be better this way, no one to get in the way. Considering that featherbrain Verniy somehow let through a friggin' missile, no doubt the tailed brats wouldn't be very competent neither. One of them doesn't even have a SINGLE kill! She didn't care if they were genetically modified super Abyssals or whatever, kids will be kids, undependable. Ignoring the fact she was really about the same age as those she was insulting, the girl took a refreshing drink of water and pointed her sniper rifle back out into the war zone, searching for her real target.

* * *

To a certain degree, the sniper's joking guess had been pretty accurate. While the battle raged on above, the two originally assigned snipers were still in the base with their "Big Daddy". They had waited until the base was mostly cleared out before commencing their escape plan.

With escaping on the ocean surface impossible and the one private jet already flown away by the owner Kennedy during his own escape, there was only one conceivable way of getting out: the same way the humans got in, not into the base, but to the island itself.

Before that however they'll have to find the two Chimeras once known as Hibiki and Akatsuki and try their best to convince them to come along. Harrison the "Father" has been doing a fairly good job with that so far, though it wasn't like Rai, or Ikazuchi as she was known as a Fleet Girl, was difficult to convince; her loyalty towards her parental figures trumped all after all. The other two would be a much greater challenge, not just in persuasion but also location; for all the three knew then, Verniy the Phoenix was raining down hell from the heavens above, and Dawn the Kraken was dragging unwary submarines into the cold abyss below. Not exactly very accessible, those two.

As Den planned, their best chance of finding the duo was when the Fleet Girls inevitably push through to E-4, closer to the island and decreasing the search area exponentially. That moment was drawing closer, and it was time to head up to the surface and hopefully signal Verniy down. They were in for quite a few surprises on their way there however.

"Hey, sis, what about Recette? Shouldn't we try to find her too?" The trio were waiting for the tram to arrive. Strange, who except them would even have used that thing at this kind of time?

"Dawn and Verniy will have an easier time finding and bringing her back than we do. Don't worry, she's a tough cookie, I'm sure she'll be fine until then." Well, she hoped the Re-Class would be fine. "Good, the tram's finally back, let's g-"

The door opened to an unexpected reunion.

"M-Miss Tenryuu?"

"I-Inazuma?"

She had changed so much, the little Destroyer who she once treated as a student, and later a younger sister. Her once soft hazelnut brown hair had been bleached a silvery white, and her skin pale as death. The girl's left eye glowed an unnatural magenta, and looking downwards, her old mentor was both disturbed and intrigued by the girl's mutated hoof-like feet and the long thick tail that ended in an anchor-like serpentine maw, staring and judging these unexpected visitors with non-existent eyes. But Inazuma, or Den as she was called now, had recognized her, at least that much the Light Cruiser could be certain of.

"Is it the enemy?" Upon sighting the Abyssal, Nagato immediately prepared herself for combat, only calming down slightly when Shiranui motioned for her to stand down.

"Oh my, if it isn't little Inazuma! And that must be Ikazuchi over there with their new guardian! It's been so long, how have you all been?" Tatsuta's welcoming demeanor was only subtly marred by the glaive which she held so tightly.

Ikazuchi tilted her head in confusion from the Fleet Girls' sudden appearance and seemingly friendly greeting. "Uhh, sis, do we know these people? The one with the cool eyepatch and wolf ears does seem kind of familiar…"

"They're not ears dammit!" The blushing Tenryuu tried to cover up her enhanced receptors with her hands as everyone enjoyed a giggle at her cute show of embarrassment, except Nagato and Harrison, both still wary of the other side. "So…she really doesn't remember huh?"

"No one does besides me nanodesu." Den replied with a nod. "She's just like before though isn't she nanodesu? Remember her first comment when we first met?"

Even Tenryuu couldn't help but smile from the fond memories. "Yeah yeah, 'Wow, those wolf ears are so cool! And is that an eyepatch? SWEET!' Heheh." Her smile soon faded as she remembered the severity of their situation. "Is it true then? You wanna escape with the other Sixth DesDiv kids instead of fighting?"

"And Recette umm I mean Satsuki too, but we'll need Hibiki or Akatsuki to help find her nanodesu. She's the Flagship of the Re-Classes so she'll be right in the thick of battle. We were just about to go up to the mansion roof and call Hibiki with some flares nanodesu."

"You sure she's not…well…too far gone? She did try to rip us and the plane apart."

"Now now dear Tenryuu, I'm sure she was simply following orders. Why, she couldn't even have known it was us on board! No doubt little Inazuma can talk some sense into her given the chance, she's always been a reasonable one, far more so than you actually~"

"Now's not the time for sisterly bickering. We've got work to do." The increasingly impatient Shiranui interjected and turned to face Harrison as Tenryuu looked away, face red with embarrassment once more. "And you, state your business. Why are you-" Without warning the Destroyer darted forward mid-sentence, barreling straight into the man and pinning him down; but it was no sudden assault, quite the contrary, as he quickly learnt when the sound of gunfire rang out. The bullet aimed for his head plinked harmlessly off Tatsuta's weapon, protecting her sister from the still flying shot.

Swiftly the Destroyer pulled him up and yanked him back towards the group, away from the attacker who he could now see clearly; it was none other than silent Noel, with a familiar Ta-Class behind him.

"Huh, at least ONE human wasn't lying." The Abyssal Battleship glared at the little group. "I knew you filthy humans were untrustworthy scum, and what d'you know? I'm right, of course! Letting in the enemy, even corrupting the Chimeras, turning them against their own kind!"

"This isn't what it looks like nanodesu!" Den tried to explain in the hopes of avoiding the conflict, as tiny as she knew the odds of success were. "It was I who wanted to leave the war behind, Mr. Harrison was just dragged along with my own plans nanodesu! We're not trying to betray anyone, we just want to go quietly!"

"SILENCE! Do you really think there's anything out there for you long as the humans and their pet Fleet Girls exist? They'll hunt you down, all of us, until we are all dead or in chains to be used as playthings or slaves! It was the human who put these deluded thoughts into you no doubt!"

Den wanted to argue, yet…she found that she couldn't. It was something she hated to admit, a point she did her best to overlook with wishful and idealistic thinking, and she had succeeded in doing that thanks to Mr. Harrison's kindness, up until Tannah's rant. As extreme as the Battleship's view was, she wasn't entirely wrong. There were no doubt humans who would readily accept co-existence, people like Commander Okada, or pretty much any of the human staff within the base; but it would be too naïve of her to think that was a popular opinion. The civilians were too fearful of the alien creatures they knew so little about beyond the fact they were some form of killer invaders, and many of the military would never back down until the bitter end of either themselves or their enemies, out of vengeance for lost family or simply out of sadism. She had once considered taking refuge on some deserted island until the war blew over…but then what, if the humans win? Even assuming she and her companions could find enough sustenance, would they have to live there isolated for eternity? What if someone found them? Would they have to run from place to place escaping pursuit? And of the few sympathetic people, far fewer would try to assist them neither, fearing retribution for harboring the "enemy"; humans show no mercy to their own kind, she learnt this the hard way a long time ago, much less to something as different as the Abyssals.

While Den struggled to find the words to respond, her caretaker had a question for his would-be assassin. "How did you know?"

"The evidence spoke for itself. Her unusually self-conscious behavior soon after conversion, lack of enemy kills despite an abundance of opportunities and competence, and it was obvious she was not naïve enough to fall for trickery during Hibiki's attempted escapade, yet she allowed their release anyhow, and then there was her strangely emotional behavior during their retrieval. The reason for all this being that she somehow remembered her pre-Abyssal life was easily deduced. You too came to the same conclusion long ago, did you not?"

Harrison told no one, not even Den herself, but yes he had known for quite a while, especially considering the large amount of interactions between him and the girl. Of course he didn't expect some memories to cause a betrayal like this until it actually happened, a careless oversight made by underestimation of the child's resolve.

"Of course the retaining of memory alone would not be enough to pinpoint the culprit, but your missing flash drive was the puzzle piece required." He referred to the USB that Harrison complained was missing over a week ago, right before the Raiden Sisters' planned attack against a transport ship escort team that just so happened to consist of members of the Guardian Office the two formerly belonged to. Everyone assumed he had just lost it carelessly, but someone knowing all of the above could draw a different conclusion.

"There were two possibilities. Either you convinced Den to deliver the intelligence, or she stole the flash drive and acted on her own. Regardless which option was true, it is clear now you are both working together, and I will not allow either of you to squander our efforts." The barrel of Noel's Deagle was raised against his target once more.

"Hey, hold up! First off, I liked you better when you were the quiet guy." Rai stepped in between her "dad" and his attacker. "And second, you aren't hurting anyone, especially NOT Harry!" She would've outright called him daddy, but he had declined the title many times out of awkwardness.

"Kill that traitorous scum, Noel. I'll handle the misguided children." Tannah cracked her knuckles, a brilliant golden aura sparking to life. "Don't worry, I won't hurt them too much, just need to knock some sense into them."

"Oi, you forgetting someone Miss High-and-mighty?" Tired of spectating, Tenryuu and her sister took the initiative, rushing forward with surprising speed, flanking the Battleship from both sides with sword and glaive respectively. The eyepatched swordswoman didn't trust that Harrison guy, but if Inazuma did, she'll just have to protect him for now. Right before either of them could swing, a blast from the Ta's two 16 inch Triple Cannons knocked the sisters back, the shots parried just in time.

"Oh I believe someone else will be keeping you filthy half-bloods company!" No sooner after she finished that sentence, the winged Abyssal came crashing straight through the tram, her viciously sharp metal talons slamming an unaware Nagato to the ground; completely unfazed, the battleship managed to shove the attacker off with incredible strength before throwing a counter-punch; her target nimbly evaded the slower strike, and the fist smashed straight into the already damaged tram, sending the entire vehicle flying down the rails as a crumpled wreckage of steel and glass. "Do not make light of Big 7's power!"

* * *

"Everyone! Calm down nanodesu! PLEASE!" The ensuing battle continued despite Den's pleas. Rai, Nagato and Shiranui struggled to subdue Verniy, though the indignant battleship's determined onslaught did little to cool the Phoenix down; Harrison had to first defeat Noel before he could help calm the winged Chimera, too occupied with dodging bullets until then; the Tenryuu sisters continued their assault against Tannah, neither side gaining an advantage over the other.

Fists and sledgehammers smashed into walls, feather-knives stabbed and clattered everywhere, blades clashed against steel, cannons fired non-stop; the lone non-combatant stood amidst the chaos around her, increasingly agitated. All she wanted was to sneak herself and her friends out of there, nothing more. They were easily replaceable anyway now that the research team had such an ample supply of knowledge, resources and subjects, granted the base survives the battle anyway. No one would miss them, and they can just go live out their nigh immortal lives on some tropical island paradise or something, no more fighting, no more killing, just peace and happiness. It was all going so smoothly…and then THIS happens! Now all of a sudden everyone around her were trying to beat the living daylights out of each other AGAIN! Why can't anyone just TALK or something instead of ripping at each other's throats?! And worse of all the resolve she thought so solid was already on the verge of shattering after that Tannah's stupid rant! She was right, there were SO many problems! Food and shelter aside, let's face it, an eternity as outcasts on some deserted island with just the five of them always in fear of being discovered is going to SUCK! But she can't stay here and keep fighting this infernal war, that's just as bad! What should she do? What should she do?! SHE CAN'T EVEN THINK WITH ALL THIS F*CKING NOISE!

"STOP IT!" With a deafening crack of thunder, arcs of lightning shot out from her like a living tesla coil; for a moment the entire room was filled with blinding violet sparks. Finally the electricity faded, though the girl's body still crackled with energy and the air still smelt of ozone. Okay, calm down, she thought to herself, just, calm down. Deep breathes, one, two, three. Alright, feeling better? Good. Man, it's been so long since she's just let loose like this, it felt so liberating and oh sweet merciful eggplants what had she done.

Her allies and foes lay sprawled on the ground around her, paralyzed, knocked out and twitching like electrocuted bugs. Well except for her sister, who was standing there, trembling in a different kind of shock. "S-Sis? Y-You okay there? T-that was really s-scary…*gasp* OH NO, DADDY!"

To their relief, no one suffered any serious damage beyond some burn marks. Making full use of the opportunity, they hauled Noel and Tannah into the old containment chamber the 6thDesDiv had called home for a few weeks and applied a good dose of knockout gas; they won't be getting up again for at least a day. Then they were to set about bandaging up everyone, and restraining Verniy and Nagato so they don't break out into another fight; much to Den's annoyance, they were in for another surprise when Rai got to the later of the two. "Umm, sis? I see her gear, but where's the person?"

* * *

"Urrgg…oh man…I feel like I've been hit by a truck…" Surprisingly, Tenryuu was the first of the lot to wake up, groaning as the Raiden Sisters quickly helped her sit up. "What…happened?"

"Plasmabolt took matters into her own hands and fried everyone."

"I-It wasn't like that nanodesu! And why'd you have to bring that dumb nickname back up?"

"I-I'm sorry sis please don't hurt me!"

Den sighed at her sister's fake cowering. She remembered the incident that earned her that nickname. Well, she didn't really remember much of the incident itself, only the aftermath. Back then she couldn't just up and release her pent-up rage through an electric aura, so her method of letting loose was a little more…elaborate. Hmm, maybe therapy wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Her eyes twitched when the base shuddered from some explosion underneath their floor while she was in the middle of explaining to Tenryuu. "What now…"

"Ah, there was supposed to be a submarine team infiltrating from the port once the fleet pushed close enough. Geez, I told the brass the four of us would be enough, but they insisted the more the merri-"

"Did you say submarines nanodesu?"

"Uhh, yeah?"

Den sighed again. "I think I know where Dawn is. By Dawn I mean Akatsuki nanodesu. Ika…Rai, stay here and get everyone settled when they wake up okay? Get Verniy to go find Satsuki once we convince her to cooperate, but everyone else needs to move to the lab and stay there nanodesu. The last thing we need is them running into guards or something, I'm surprised the entire floor hasn't come running already. We'll look for Nagato later, but right now I need to go pick up Dawn. Akatsuki. Ah you know who I mean nanodesu."

"Wait!" The eyepatched Light Cruiser stumbled to her feet, her legs still numb from the electric shock. "C-Can I come with you? I really want to see Akatsuki…whatever she may be now." She took a backwards glance at the mutated Hibiki, chained up but sleeping soundly, if you could count getting electrocuted out of consciousness sleeping. Now that she can take a better look, the girl wasn't as monstrous as she first thought; her hands seemed encased in a thin layer of black alloy, becoming claws; her feet were similar but worse off, having deformed into sharp talons. Her most eye-catching and, dare she say, awesome feature were the large fleshy wings that extended from her back, though instead of soft feathers, there were sharp metal shards of varying length instead. According to the records, they could even regenerate almost instantly and were easily detachable to be used as deadly projectiles.

Den considered Tenryuu's request while the Light Cruiser was fantasizing about having her own wings and soaring through the sky. Following her gaze to the Phoenix, the tailed Chimera got an idea. "Alright, fine, but we'll need to do something about your look first."

* * *

A moment earlier two floors beneath, 5 Fleet Girls in Japanese school swimsuits burst in from the exit hatches of the port, leaping out of the waters with a splash and a salvo of torpedoes, filling the area with carnage and smoke.

"Guten Tag, you can call me Hachi!"

"Iku! YEAH!"

"I-168, Imuya!"

"Goya! I'm not bitter!"

"Good day, I'm Shioi."

"TOGETHER WE ARE!" The five invading submarines took the time to strike a group pose. "The U-Boats/Love Snipers/iSubs/Swimsuit Brigade/6-5-4!" United in action, not so much in words. "Hey I thought we were using my name!" "I thought we were using MINE!" "Why don't we just combine them?" "What, the U-654 iSniper Brigade?" "That…doesn't sound so bad actually."

A mysterious slow applause echoed through the wide open port, interrupting the subs' banter. As the smoke cleared up they could see the source, a man up on a raised maintenance platform the far side of the port. While the Abyssals around either prepared for battle or carried their wounded away, the human was lounging on a lawn chair with icebox and bottles of beer besides, cowboy hat hiding his eyes.

"Whoooowee! That was some entrance there little ladies. Such an explosive performance deserves an equal welcome, don't ya think?"

Bzzzzt, the remote he held buzzed as he pressed it. Three large gates raised beneath him, something huge with glowing crimson markings stepping out of each chamber, a thump audible across the port with each step. "Allow me to introduce y'all to my latest contraptions, the Cruisers 2.0."

Once out of the shadows, the beasts could be seen in all their monstrous glory. Three metal creatures resembling the Ho-Class, He-Class and To-Class Light Cruisers, except over twice their normal size and looking much more vicious, with much larger, upgraded weaponry and seemingly 100% robotic. Red glowing circuit board-like markings etched into their obsidian black alloy bodies gave them the extra visual touch.

Imuya was the first to recover from speechlessness amongst both her fellow subs and the spectating Abyssals. "Since when the hell did you guys have MECHS?!"

"Power armor is the more accurate term, ma'am. A mechanical suit connected to an Abyssal pilot's nervous system, powered by 'em too. They're just prototypes, but y'all gonna have the honor of taking part in their maiden fight. A gift from yours truly, little fellers."

"B-Bring it on, cowboy!" Iku shouted, preparing her torpedoes. "Your little power armors don't stand a chance against Iku, Sniper of the Ocean! You're all done for once I've got you in my sights!" What said Sniper of the Ocean didn't have in her sights were the invisible tentacles about to tighten around her neck.

* * *

Three German Fleet Girls, a Battleship and two Destroyers, sped into the area designated E-5. The skies had darkened as a storm arrived, as if the heavens themselves mourned the many who had fallen in this tragic battle, but at least they've got the Abyssal Fleet with their backs to the wall now; it was time for the final push. Up ahead they could see their target, the Harbor Princess; ah, she had spotted them, all the better, it was more honorable to face an opponent head-on. Wait, what was that on her Demon's left flight deck? It was…a man? He seemed to be an Admiral in fact.

As the trio approached, the strange man suddenly jumped off, landing on the water as if it was solid ground; was it due to the black metal boots on his feet, akin to Abyssal equipment? Then there were the large gauntlets he wore, made from the same material. Without warning the bearded Admiral charged forward, unable to ski on the ocean like Fleet Girls or Abyssals, but making unexpectedly good speed for a man his size. They could only just barely hear his words over the gusts of wind and crashing waves before he swung his armored fist.

"I've come for you, Abigail."

* * *

The lone sniper was still perched on the tree, looking out into the battlefield through her sniper's scope. Many Fleet Girls and far more Abyssals have already sunk to the bottom of the cold dark ocean, but the key pieces were still in play, besides the one she helped take out. A few more would easily have been picked off, but she'd rather keep a low profile. After all, there was only one that she really wanted.

Storm's getting worse, it was already impossible to aim at anything beyond E-5. She continued scanning the oceans, increasingly worried. She didn't have much time left, far less than she originally thought, this was her one chance to finish what she started; could the reports have been wrong, were they not coming from this side? What if they weren't here at all? What if that skank was still sitting comfy back at her naval base, glued to father? What if- A growing smile erased her doubts.

"Ah. There you are."


	9. Chapter 9 - Beginning of the End

Two Abyssals hurried through the hallways towards the source of loud explosions and gunfire; at least, that's what a random passerby would have thought. In truth, the eyepatched and strangely young Ta-Class was more than meets the eye.

"The clothes are a bit big, but your idea was brilliant! Those chumps back there couldn't tell the difference at all!" A disguised Tenryuu praised her former student. With the white face powder covering her skin and hair combined with the outfit she "borrowed" from the unconscious Tannah, it was indeed difficult to tell the difference, especially considering Battleships often enjoyed customizing themselves, though that wasn't something the Fleet Girl could have known.

"I can't take all the credit nanodesu, Hibiki came up with it when she escaped with Akatsuki. They came so close too, got to the tram and everything, but…maybe it's for the best nanodesu. The last thing Akkie needed was survivor's guilt…" There was also her own guilty desire to keep the group together no matter what, but Den left that part out.

"When you put it like that, I kinda guess so…man, just remembering how Hibs was after Sats sunk is depressing me. We really missed you guys though y'know? Everyone at the base were totally fired up after we heard you all vanished halfway back! Seriously, Tats and I led a search team out the second we could, we really did! I-"

"It's okay, I'm not holding grudges for not saving us or anything nanodesu, I know everyone cared, especially you. In fact, the one who should be apologizing is me nanodesu. If I was a better fighter maybe…"

"Oh come on, don't say that, it's definitely not your fault! Even an entire squad of cruisers and carriers could barely stand up to a Re! It's all the fault of those stupid criminals for making those tailed freaks! Uhh present company excluded of course."

"It's fine." The Chimera's tail disagreed with its body, growling at the offender.

"Anyway, it's all those criminals' fault! Seriously, betraying humanity to work for the enemy, what the hell were they thinking? Those psychos didn't abuse you guys or anything did they? I swear if they even hurt a HAIR-"

"Please calm down, Miss Tenryuu…" Den sighed. She's been doing a lot of that today, but could anyone blame her? She was just glad the hallways were mostly devoid of anyone who might overhear Tenryuu's completely disguise-breaking rant. "They've treated us really well, much like Commander Okada, just in a sort of…rowdier, less formal kind of way nanodesu. If anything, the discipline's a lot looser as well, and the paperwork is one thing I'll never miss."

"Ah right, little Miss Secretary Ship, heheh. Everyone thought it was too big a job for a kid your age, but you handled it like a pro!"

"I-It wasn't all that impressive…" The little Abyssal tried to hide her soft blush. "It was mostly just monotony, nothing really skillful…"

"Well the patience alone was damn impressive! I would've been bored into a coma on my first day!"

"And Akkie within an hour." The two shared a muffled giggle as they reached the lift.

"Hey, while we wait for our ride, how about filling me in on life here? I want to know everything, and I mean EVERYTHING."

So Den told her exactly that, or at least as much as she could fit before they arrived at their destination, which was a lot as it eventually turned out the elevator broke down and they had to walk halfway across the floor for the stairs. She recounted the day of her capture, their imprisonment in the Abyssal base, her reawakening as a Chimera, Hibiki's escape attempt, their first sortie; the gaming parties with Trales, Marquis' 4th of July fireworks show, late night strolls by the beach with Harrison, watching anime with Sakuri, engineering and science lessons from Jackson and Victoria; Akkie's many invisible mischiefs, Ika and Sats' newfound sibling rivalry, Hibiki learning to draw comics from Willow… If it wasn't for the incessant fighting and killing, she really wouldn't mind living like this forever.

Tenryuu took a sigh of relief as she listened on, glad that the traitorous humans had at least SOME decency. "Sounds like one heck of an experience, though it's nothing we don't have back at the base. Work does seem REALLY loose for a naval base though."

"We have more people here to share duties with. And admit it, you wish Commander would let you lounge around Houshou's or play video games all day nanodesu."

"O-Of course not! Well maybe a little…" The light cruiser averted her eyes with an awkwardly forced smile, longing for more free time besides working out, sortieing and running expeditions almost all day every day, but not willing to admit any benefits of life at the enemy base. "Too much gaming's not good for you anyways…"

"Now you're just looking for things to complain about nanodesu."

"Am not!"

"Whatever you say nanodesu~" Even Den couldn't resist teasing the flustered Tenryuu, she was just so…teasable. Regardless, it was time to concentrate, the tailed Abyssal told herself as the two got off the last flight of stairs out into the port. "Alright, I'll try to sneak up on Akkie, see if you can distract the sub tea-" One of said subs smashing into the wall right before her interrupted the strategy briefing.

The battered and bloodied I-168, also known as Imuya, slumped to the ground, gasping for breath. She glanced sideways at what she thought were enemy reinforcements, but there was no strength left in her to do anything about them.

"R-reinforcements…a Ta and a goddamn Re…so this is how it ends, huh…"

"Whoa there, calm down, we're on your side okay?" Tenryuu immediately dragged the wounded submarine back towards the safety of the stairs, venturing a glance in the direction she "flew" in from. "What the hell could've…uhh…..are those friggin' MECHS?!"

"*cough* Power armor, apparently…" The sub struggled to stay conscious. "Not that…it matters…too few of us…wasn't prepared…and then there was…that…THING…"

"Thing? You mean there's still something besides-"

"Invisible?" Den already guessed who Imuya was referring to.

"Y-Yeah…*cough* it got Iku first…neck snapped…like a twig…then it just toyed with us…tripping us over…touching our necks…too distracted…too scared to fight…only Shioi and Hachi left…spare…them…please…" With a final plea for her friends' lives, her body went limp in Tenryuu's arms.

"O-Oi! Don't just die on your friends like that! Hang on!"

"Don't worry, she's still alive, just barely nanodesu." Den reassured her old mentor after checking the sub's pulse. "Stay here with her, I'll grab Akkie."

"Why would she do something like THIS? I thought you said they were still the same! Akats would never-"

"Remember that Nu-Class? The one that broke my arms and ribs during our first expedition together nanodesu?" The Chimera looked back at Tenryuu, her gaze cold and serious, something her old mentor hadn't seen in a long time. "Everyone tortured it in revenge, made a game out of its death nanodesu. Akkie, Ika, Tatsuta, you. Only Hibiki stood aside to treat my injury nanodesu. Circled around it, shot its legs, then its arms, then its torso. How many shots could you land before it sunk? That's what it deserved for hurting me, 'That's what you get.' No mercy needed for mindless zombies, right? That's what you said nanodesu. The shoe's just on the other foot now." Without another word she sped off towards the battle, leaving the eyepatched Fleet Girl stunned and speechless.

* * *

A true lady would probably differentiate between work and play, but this was just too much FUN! The invisible Abyssal grinned while stalking her next victim, the blond one. Launching torpedoes everywhere the second they jumped out, striking a cheesy TEAM POSE even while their poor victims were writhing in pain on the ground with shrapnel and burns, who the heck did they think they were? What, did they think this was some kind of game? Well it's a game NOW, not so hot anymore huh? The Kraken coiled a tentacle around a blown-off arm nearby and slapped the blondie with it just as she took aim at the two remaining mechas. She had accidentally let them disable one, but it didn't matter too much, Cowboy can get it patched up in no time, and the remaining subs were SO done. Actually, where did the redhead go? Didn't think she'd have the strength to crawl away after getting slammed like that. Ah who cares, she doesn't even have torpedoes left.

Now it's the brunette's turn! What should she do this time? Throw her at the To-Mech for a co-op combo? Or maybe tickle her neck again, remind her how vulnerable she was? Oooh, how about- the Kraken's ideas became redundant as a tailed newcomer sprung out of nowhere, slamming into the brunette with her electrified shield and knocking the sub out instantly. Where the heck did Den come out from? Shouldn't she be sniping up top right now? And now she's going for blondie…smack, there she goes. "Aww, way to steal the show, Den!" The Kraken disabled her cloaking, becoming visible again. Seriously, she wasn't a little kid anymore, she can handle the enemy on her own…wait, why was Den charging her way now?

KLUNK.

* * *

"Sorry about intruding Mr. Jackson, but I need to borrow my friend for a moment nanodesu. Mind if I take care of these two for you as well?" Den calmly inquired as she already began hauling her three victims towards the stairs.

"Not at all, little lady, the prototype test just about rounded up anyway. Feel free to do with the bodies as you please by the way, yer old man's partners got business with them, not me. Alrighty, time to get these things patched up and on the big blue open!" The head engineer tipped his hat to the Chimera, jumping down with his toolbox to begin repairs before sending them to the actual defense line. He was a bit curious about the girl's questionable method of getting her pal's attention, but he's got more important things to attend to.

Tenryuu was still waiting there with the unconscious Imuya when Den returned. "Y'know, for someone who doesn't like violence, you kinda resort to that a lot."

"Did you have a better idea nanodesu?"

"…Not really." Not wanting to aggravate the already irritated Chimera, she instead turned her attention to the unconscious Dawn, formerly known as Akatsuki. Like all Abyssals her skin was pale white, though her hair was raven black like the Ru-Classes. 8 long stretchy tentacles protruded from her back, two bigger ones with suckers on their undersides, six smaller ones without. An unseen enhancement was her significantly increased flexibility.

"Okay, let's get them up to the lab nanodesu. Ika and Miss Tatsuta can stay behind to treat their wounds, the rest of us will go find Miss Nagato. I'm very sure there's only one group of people who'd take her nanodesu."

* * *

"Oh happy day happy day~" Meanwhile, several floors beneath them, an unconscious Nagato was being carried away by the very same people Den had figured. "I can't believe a battleship just walked right in! And it's even a Big 7! Ahh this is a good day for science~"

Rick walked on beside his older sibling, feeling both worried and glad at the same time. Sure he was happy for big sis, he hadn't seen her this excited since she got the offer to work here in the first place, after quitting the military research department due to their mountains of restrictions and lack of funding. Gaining access to the aliens' own stockpiles of data and practically free reign to go crazy with her experiments was like a dream come true! Still, he couldn't help the feeling that something was going to go wrong that day, besides having a siege going on above of course.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, sis? We ARE skipping a lot of procedures here."

"Procedures? We hacked them aliens' top secret database for this royal info! We are LONG past procedures!" Marquis chimed in, equally excited as Victoria, though for less scientific reasons. Whatever's gonna happen, this will be one hell of a wild ride, just the way he liked it. The gang walked along the corridors of the Demons and Princesses' living quarters, the first floor of the restricted area, but their destination was deeper down.

"I guess so, but just throwing her into a giant vat of nanites along with the shipwreck?"

"It's the quickest way, sweetie, and time is something we don't have much of right now. I'm sure something as strong as a Big 7 can handle it. Trales, you got the serum right?"

"Well duh, Vicky! Pistol and Mantis Shrimps, right here!" The girl patted her backpack. That was one heck of a steal they pulled back there, everyone hid in the storage room close to the tram stop after seeing the intruders board it on security cam. The original plan was to ambush the Fleet Girls on their own, but not only did they get in a fight with Tannah, Noel and Verniy, but Den outright finished them all off! After that they just snuck out after the Raiden Sisters hauled Noel and Tannah to the lab and spirited their prey away. Now they've practically gotten away scott free, no one would ever think to look down there! As for Harry and Den trying to escape with the other Chimeras, it was a little disappointing, she did like hanging out with them, but if you like something you should set them free, that's how the saying went, right? Plus, they can just make more later, provided the base survives, and it will if this experiment goes as planned.

"Wonderful. Alright everyone, let's hurry up! We've got SCIENCE to do!"

* * *

Back on the surface, four Battleship sisters sailed into E-5 to engage the Isolated Island Princess and her Demon.

"OH YEAH! I'm gonna bring down that emo Lolita and win over Admiral's heart!" The eldest of the four cheered, as if having no sense of danger despite going against one of the strongest Abyssals.

"It's called gothic, not emo, sis, and haven't you already won the commander's heart ten times over by now?" One of the sisters adjusted her glasses, it was getting difficult to see through them in the rain.

"When it comes to love you can never win enough desu-ne! Always take every chance to impress and refuel his BURNING LOVE!"

"As expected of onee-sama, so knowledgeable in everything, especially romance!" Another sister chimed in, staring at her idol with worshipping eyes.

"Aren't you two a little too relaxed? We may have gained an advantage, but the danger has yet to pass. Even Shimakaze and the Akagi sisters have been sunk by the enemy, yet not a single Princess has been defeated despite 4 Demons heavily damaged, we must be more focused!"

"Oh don't be so tense, imouto! We can surely beat ANYTHING with your strategic planning! I have faith in you desu!" The eldest patted her little sister on the back, almost knocking off her glasses.

"F-For you to put so much trust in me…it is an hon-"

The last sister's turret mount exploded violently before the blushing glasses-wearing one could finish expressing her gratitude.

"HARUNA!" The three instantly lunged to hold their wounded sister steady. The one known as Kirishima wiped the rain from her glasses and scanned their surroundings, seeking the perpetrator. "I…I don't understand, no one seems to be targeting us." Looking back at the Princess they were heading for, it seemed the explosion had alerted her to their presence as she waved a greeting, sending a swarm of approximately 50 drones at them. But who could've attacked then, with enough firepower to pierce their turrets' armor like that? Perhaps the fabled Raiden Sisters and their railgun mounts? There had been 0 sightings of the 2 at all since the beginning of this battle. Speaking of whom, neither the Phoenix nor the Kraken has been spotted since 1 hour ago, excluding a brief sighting of the former swooping down to rescue the heavily damaged Re-Class Flagship. It didn't fit right with her calculations, but admittedly they seldom did. Perhaps the Abyssals were coordinating some kind of ambush with their best units? Also, more importantly, where was the sniper? There was an almost 0% chance she would be at sea, the waves alone would make aiming at such a far distance impossible. What if the Phoenix was in the sky carrying the sniper? No, there was too much wind up there, not to mention lightning, and it would be impossible to spot them through the dense clouds even if they went above the storm. That left only 1 possibility…

There was no time to think anymore though, the drones were upon them. "Hiei, protect Haru-" Another explosion. "HIEI!" That's two sisters' wounded and partially disabled, but this time she saw it for sure, where the shots were coming from.

* * *

The third sister dodged out of the way of her bullet in the nick of time. Looks like the smart one's finally caught on. Welp, may as well. While Kirishima tried to warn her older sister, with two more shots she quickly destroyed the remaining turret halves of the two sisters she downed, didn't count on her rolling back to previous targets when one more was still oblivious did they, and jumped down from her perch. Headshots would have been far simpler, but that would be too quick, letting the drones wail on the disabled Battleships would be far sweeter. That bitch deserved to see her family slowly being taken from her, it was only fitting after what she did.

The storm was raging, torrents of rainwater splashing against her sickly pale skin, thunder and lightning piercing the gray sky above; perfect weather for a final confrontation. The girl walked across the beach, until the ocean came up to her knees, forceful waves crashing into her entire body, but she stood firm unaffected; with a little concentration, she rose from the waters until her feet rested on the surface like solid ground. It had been a long time since she'd done that, it didn't come naturally to her unlike the regulars, but just getting to her target will be enough warm-up. At first stumbling from the waves, she slowly skied towards the four sisters who were battling the drones, quickly picking up speed as she regained the hang of it.

The girl took a deep breath, taking in the salty ocean breeze, and shouted at the top of her lungs at the stormy heavens for all to hear, the name of the person whose life she will reap that day or who will reap hers:

"**KKOOOONNNNGGGOOOOOOUUUUU!"**

* * *

On the other side of the island, the fists of human and Fleet Girl clashed, the sheer force of impact creating a shockwave that could be felt by the two German Destroyers beside their Battleship leader. The combatants jumped back, sizing each other up.

"Schweinhund! You must be one of the enemy commanders! How dare you assault Lady Bismarck, verräter!" One of the Destroyers, redheaded Max Schultz declared.

"U-Unmöglich! The force of that punch! Isn't he a human?" The other, Leberecht Maas, backed away quickly, intimidated by the show of inhuman strength. Was this the power of all their Admirals?!

The Battleship however had other things on her mind. "…Who is this Abigail you speak of?" The name had resonated with something buried deep in her subconscious, it had felt strangely familiar, yet she couldn't understand why. And this man, hadn't she seen him somewhere before?

The man silently shook his head. It was exactly as he expected, yet somehow he still felt disappointed. "I see, you still do not remember."

"Remember what?" By then the others also grew curious, even Darwin the Harbor Princess drew a little closer.

"Your father. I am your father, Abigail."

Amidst gasps from the eavesdroppers, the Battleship remembered.

* * *

Not that she was the man's daughter, but where she had heard that name and seen this man before. Way back in her first days after construction, a delusional cripple had barged into the naval base, shouting that name repeatedly; he had even found her returning from practice, grabbing her by the shoulders, asking feverishly if she was alright, what had they done to her. She figured the poor man must have been an escapee from some mental ward and simply told him he had the wrong person, she was Bismarck, not Abigail, not his daughter.

How could it even be possible for her to be someone's daughter? She was a Fleet Girl, a human-like weapon constructed by the military to combat the Abyssal threat, she had no parents, unless the engineers who built her counted. Yes she had heard the rumors before about Fleet Girls being genetically engineered humans, but that seemed about as credible as any other crackpot theory, like the one about Fleet Girls being angels sent by gods or something. Of course some Fleet Girls like Lebe do believe such nonsense as a coping mechanism, make themselves feel like more than just weapons, tools. She didn't feel that way herself. So what if she was artificial? She had feelings, just like other living beings, that much she could be sure of.

And at that moment she felt confused, conflicted. If someone told her back then the one-armed cripple who had walked away dejectedly would someday show up as an Abyssal commander with both his arms intact, she would've thought it was some kind of bad joke, yet there he was. It also made her think back, there were times when she did feel like something was missing, a hole inside of her. She tried filling it with love from the Admiral like some others suggested, but that didn't work out, it was something else entirely. Eventually she chalked it off as paranoia after hearing those rumors, but what if it wasn't? Not to mention access to media was extremely limited for Fleet Girls at the Guardian Office, and none of them were ever allowed to witness the construction process…no, it couldn't be, this man, whoever he was, must be playing mind games with her or was simply delusional! There was no time to fret about possibly forgotten memories, she had to focus on her mission, too many comrades she DOES remember had lost their lives for her to waver now!

"I will give you one more chance. Will you leave with your father, Abigail?" The Admiral offered for the last time, though they both knew the answer to that question.

"I respectfully decline."

"I see. Regrettable." His fists clenched, and hers too in response. "Then I shall have to sink you and try anew with your Abyssal self."

* * *

Back down beneath the waves within the Abyssal headquarters, a small team consisting of human, Fleet Girl and Abyssal raced through the halls towards the bottom floors. They had left Verniy, Rai and Tatsuta behind to treat the wounded, not the best choices for the job, but the only ones they had.

"I can't believe Satsuki was that badly injured nanodesu…"

"How do you think WE feel? She sunk the Akagi Sisters AND their entire escort squad!"

"Silence, both of you, the walls have ears." Shiranui interrupted. "Moreover, this is war, both sides should've been prepared to die. One was simply more skilled and fortunate this time."

"You're way too cold, y'know that?"

"I think she's just more mature."

"No one asked you, criminal! …Uhh…guy!" Tenryuu retracted her insult to Harrison, she'd rather not risk offending the electric Chimera next to her. Inazuma just seemed so much more hostile today. There was no doubt it was still her in that freaky pale body, she even remembered so far back, there was no way she could fake that, but perhaps the Abyssal corruption had changed her more than she thought. On the other hand her nickname wasn't for nothing… Ahh she missed the shy and huggable Inazuma so much…

"So…umm…where are we going anyway?"

"The restricted levels. Last week Victoria and Noel hacked into the encrypted database and found some information on making Princess and Demon-class Abyssals, but we lacked suitable candidates for testing."

"Wait hold up, Harenn…Harold…"

"Harrison."

"Yeah whatever, you mean your loony friends are going to try corrupting her into a PRINCESS?!"

"If those humans can turn mere Destroyers into creatures of mass destruction like the Raiden Sisters or the Phoenix, one could only imagine what they could do to a Big 7 Battleship…"

"Oi, what the hell's that smirk supposed to mean you battlefreak Shiranui! We gotta hurry and keep it an imagination!"

The four finally entered the Princesses' living quarters, a wide hallway with large dormitories the size of entire apartment flats, one for each Princess, though their Demons were kept further down the line in special stables to accommodate their size. Some doors had been left open, and unlike what would be expected of the homes for princesses, many of the dormitories looked far from regal, decorated based on their residents' own tastes. Henderson's room was painted pink and filled with plushies for example, while almost everything in Wakely the Isolated Island Princess' abode had gothic black lace and ribbons on them.

"Wow, where do you guys even get these décor?" Tenryuu snuck a look inside the open dorms, wishing her own bedroom was nearly that sweet.

"The man who owns the mansion, Kennedy, orders food and furniture over along with miscellaneous requests like these. I don't know why he was funding the Abyssals, but he's long since fled now." Harrison shrugged. He had a sneaking suspicion of the reason, but it was disturbing to say the least.

The group soon passed through the hallway and down another flight of stairs, sounds of conversation echoing up from below. Picking up the pace, the four unlikely allies entered the Factory. Rickety steel walkways hung suspended above large tubs of nanomachines, churning black goop with countless glowing red dots within like stars in the sky. Great metal claws moved along the ceiling on rails, carrying large chunks of metal, sometimes resembling ship wreckages, lowering them down into the nanite pools. The ones that rise again held the finished product, living, writhing Abyssal Destroyers. The scientists and the abducted Fleet Girl were near one such nanite canister, along with the wreckage of a steel warship hanging above it. Both sides caught sight of each other at the same time.

"STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SC-" Tenryuu stopped short, staring down at the syringe literally an inch away from her throat that was halted only by a gloved hand. The destroyer inspected the needle and tossed it away with a smirk. "The woman's mine."

* * *

Within seconds yet another battle broke out, though with fewer combatants than expected. Marquis and Harrison sat this one out, the former guarding their prize while the later hesitated to harm either side. Den just stood there disgruntled while Tenryuu dueled Trales and Victoria tag-teamed Shiranui with Rick (he was a Wing Chun martial arts master surprisingly, which made for a spectacular fisticuffs display against Shiranui's karate). Seriously, another fight? Surely they've could've talked their way out of this…actually probably not, Vicky would never let a chance to experiment like this pass her by. For a moment she considered tasing everyone again, but a glance down at the vats of nanobot goop changed her mind, the last thing she needed was anyone falling over the railings from the shock. Ahh, but what could she do, she felt so tired…

"Ugghh…where…am I…" The battleship's awakening called for desperate measures. Before anyone could stop them, two large syringes full of the support gene serum impaled themselves on Nagato before Marquis shoved her right off the railing into the swirling mass of black and red beneath. "NAGATO!" Tenryuu's scream was drowned out by a loud splash as the warship wreckage plunged in right after. Furious, the light cruiser tried to swing at the blue haired woman, but Trales blocked her strike. "YOU MONSTERS! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO A LIVING PERSON?!"

Victoria seemed more amused than anything at the Fleet Girl's anger. "That's adorable, you must think your side's so innocent? Trivia time, did you know for example the military dissects captured Abyssals alive? I would know, I was there one time. Not enough anesthetics neither, she was crying and begging for mercy all the way until blood loss got her!" Den and Rick both shuddered from the mental images. "The worst part is it never achieved anything! Ripping them open for analysis, trying to find out what made them tick, never worked, but they kept doing it anyway! Then they tried literal stress tests, physical and emotional torture, see if it triggered a response. Would've worked, except their subjects were FAR too weakened by then! Of course I already suggested they try keeping some healthy, but nooooooo that would be a 'security risk' apparently!" She rolled her eyes, more annoyed by their cowardice than their sadistic methods. "Point is, you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs or risk scalding yourself, same goes for science. As if you even KNEW her that well to begin with, stop crying!"

Meanwhile, everyone else was peeking over the railings at the vat that Nagato had fallen into. Trales squinted as she stared at the nanite goop. "Umm, is it just me, or is the tub shaking?"

"Impossible, the Abyssimilation should take a lot longer than-" Before Harrison could finish, a giant metal lobster claw burst out from the nanite soup and smashed into the walkway, taking a chunk out of it and shaking the entire structure violently, though fortunately no one was hurt. "Huh, I stand corrected then. We should run."

"Quickly, back up-" A second, different-looking claw burst out, opening and snapping shut at supersonic speeds, creating a shockwave that crumbled everything around the entrance. "-stairs…nanodesu…d-downstairs?" Looking around frantically, she found no exit. "Oh no…"

Soon the entire Abyssal beast arose from the depths for all to see. A massive creature made out of Abyss Alloy, resembling a lobster except with a disturbing toothy maw. Large cannons lined its sides and back, yet its primary weapons were its two massive claws, one blunt and heavily armored, the other sharp and sleek. In front of it stood Nagato, her skin deathly white but her long hair jet black, hands connected to the beast's claws as if wearing ridiculously oversized gloves, glowing crimson eyes filled with nothing but pure malice.

* * *

"Okay, I'll admit, I MAY have bitten off more than I could chew this time!" Vicky launched another salvo of tranquilizer needles, though none could reach past the massive claws. The former enemies now fled together, avoiding strike after strike amidst another blood curdling shriek from the artificial Princess and her Demon. None of their attacks have had any success, and all they could do was run as more and more of the walkways were destroyed.

"I thought you jackasses could control her or something!" Tenryuu barely evaded some falling debris that crashed and destroyed another portion of their path.

"The process was too rapid and volatile, her mind and body haven't had a chance to adapt properly! She's in a wild aggressive state right now destroying everything that moves, I think it'll only last an hour or so at most, but at this rate we won't last another 5 minutes!"

"You KNEW something like this would happen?! Why would you do this?!"

"Not would, MIGHT! And science isn't about why, it's about why not! It's risky business!"

"F*CK science!"

While Victoria and Tenryuu continued squabbling, Den tried her best to distract the converted Nagato, but even though her railgun could do some damage, the nanite paste still coated on the Demon's armor quickly repaired anything she hit. Just how did this happen? Why were she and her friends being chased by a metal lobster and a Princess instead of escaping the war in a submarine like they should've been doing an hour ago? The entire floor was shaking from the impact and damage, she could hear the sounds of metal straining all around her; then suddenly the ground collapsed. The nearby nanite vats toppled into the darkness below, spewing their contents everywhere; the suspension snapped, sending the walkway and everyone on it tumbling screaming into the pit.

* * *

He was the first to awaken. Harrison remembered what had transpired, being attacked by the Abyssimilated Nagato and her Demon, the floor giving way and sending them all tumbling down into the next floor. From what he recalled, there were 3 forbidden floors, which meant they were at the very bottom of the facility. But what was within this lowest floor? Looking around, to his initial fear, he saw the swarms of nanites around them, their miniscule red eyes seemingly observing the group. However, the nanobot swarm stayed away, leaving him and his unconscious companions lying safely in a small circular area. The Princess was nowhere to be found, and beyond the nanites he couldn't see anything within the unlit chamber.

Eventually, a female voice came from the darkness.

"You shouldn't be here, human. But here you are, so we may as well welcome you. Welcome, to the-" *meow* "Oh shush now Elizabeth, I was trying to sound mysterious! Ah the atmosphere's ruined now, just turn on the lights!"


	10. Chapter 10 - Revelations, Confrontations

"I-Is that…the commander's daughter?!" What remained of the first swarm of drones had begun retreating to regroup. Kirishima took the chance to wipe her glasses on her miko outfit and did a second take, but that was definitely who she thought the screaming Fleet Girl speeding towards them was. No one had seen her in months, not that much anyone cared sadly. The glasses-wearing battleship didn't really approve of her older sister's methods of gaining the commander's adoration, but it was effective she had to admit, and her sister was beyond stubborn when it came to matters of romance, there was little she could've done. Trying to look for a bright side, the naval base was no place for non-combat and non-maintenance personnel like the commander's daughter anyway. Kirishima had originally thought the daughter simply stopped going back to her "hijacked" home and stayed at the boarding school, that was the logical conclusion, but seeing her here at the battle was the last thing her calculations expected, much less her menacing Abyssal firearms and Fleet Girl water-walking abilities.

"Nani-desu?" The British-Japanese Kongou squinted through the storm. "Huh, yes it is! Agh, always a thorn in my side desu! I always knew that brat would be trouble, now I have proof! I bet Admiral will praise me more once I get rid of that delinquent once and for all!" Kirishima gawked at her older sister's complete disregard of the situation's impossibility in favor of looking for more reasons to be adored by the commander. It was…to be expected, she supposed, Kongou always had a one-track mind. More importantly, the daughter was getting closer, and it was very clear she meant all the harm in the world. Questions could be asked later, but only after they defeat this unexpected newcomer.

Sakuri skidded to a halt a few meters from her sworn nemesis, sniper rifle strapped to her back, hands on the holsters on her sides. "Remember me, bitch?"

"How could I forget a baka like you? The undeserving brat who weighed down Admiral with unnecessary responsibilities and gave nothing in return?"

"Still a spiteful little skank, aren't ya? Always pretending to be this bigger person looking out for your superior when all you are is an insecure possessive bitch. You even act out a stupid air-head persona just to get people to like you! Your retarded mix of Japanese and English words, your perpetual fake smile, your tape-on ahoge… all to hide your desperation for attention. Well, *snicker* maybe the stupid part isn't an act."

Kongou's smile faltered for a second, though it was quickly recovered, however forced it was. "WHAT…did you say about my ahoge?"

"H-hey, wait a sec, both of you!" Kirishima tried to intervene. "I'm sure we can come to a peaceful solution…" She evaded the incoming shot by the skin of her teeth, making her miss her own ambush shot at the pseudo-Fleet Girl.

"Stay out of this, four-eyes! Unless y-" Sakuri's threat was interrupted by yet another violent coughing fit, drops of dark red blood splattering from her mouth into the churning ocean. "Of all the times…no matter."

"This kuso-brat is right for once!" Kongou waved her younger sister away. "Go, protect Hiei-chan and Haruna-chan! Watashi can more than handle this girl myself desu!"

"I-If you say so…" With some hesitation, Kirishima turned around and ran back to aid her incapacitated sisters' retreat. With no one else around but Admiral's abandoned daughter, Kongou finally let her cheery smile be replaced by an annoyed grimace.

"Finally dropping the façade, huh?"

"No one's around to be scared by me right now desu. Oops, slip of the tongue."

"Implying anyone would be scared of YOU, big-head bitch."

"Still as disrespectful of your seniors as ever I see. Admiral should have rinsed your foul mouth with arsenic."

"You sure are old enough to be a senior. Better get some botox, daddy doesn't like wrinkles much."

The insults continued to fly for a good while.

"So, how did you get your Fleet Girl powers? Did you beg the Abyssals to make you more like strong, lovable Kongou, hmm?"

"You wouldn't be able to get it through your thick skull anyway, but I guess you deserve to know before I smash it open. *shrug* Self-administered operation. Thanks to you I was practically universally ignored, which gave me some stealthy benefits, like sneaking cameras into the 'construction' bay and nabbing materials. Of course, I couldn't replicate everything on my own. This right here, is the product of an incomplete process on an imperfect subject. Little physical benefit and a drastically reduced lifespan, but some advanced Abyssal tech makes up for the former!" Sakuri patted the sniper rifle that mauled Kongou's sisters. "I thought I'd at least last a year, but looks like I overestimated myself on that. Good thing YOU showed up on time, numbskull!"

"Wait, you estimated a year? You knowingly threw away your ENTIRE life just to try getting your dad back from me for what, a month, a week before you die? And you call ME a possessive bitch?"

"Dad can go burn in HELL for all I care! He gave me up so easily in favor of some tits and ass, I don't even want to SEE him anymore! And who even CARES about the rest of my life? I have no home, no family, no friends, no money, no future! There is NOTHING left for me to lose. So why not accelerate the end and get some sweet revenge while I'm at it?" She whipped the two revolvers out of their holsters, now fitted with vicious bayonets, twirled them around in the air and aimed them at the battleship. "But enough talk, it's time to make dad single again. I bet he's gonna hate me SO much for doing that twice!"

"In your dreams, brat!" The Fleet Girl lowered her cannons at the Admiral's daughter. "Admiral will praise and adore me forever while you rot at the bottom of the sea! A BURNING LOVER was what he needed, not some bothersome baby to take care of!"

"Oh you'll BURN alright!"

The two mortal enemies opened fire at the same time, their battle cries both a single word demand: "**DIE!**"

* * *

While her destroyer comrades kept the Harbor Princess occupied, the fist fight between human and Fleet Girl raged on. So far she had refused to user her cannons in order to apprehend the enemy Admiral alive, but it was increasingly evident the outcome of her decision was not going her way. The man had displayed speed and power far greater than she anticipated of a human, and she was slowly getting worn down from the flurry of heavy blows; for someone who claimed to be her father, he really wasn't showing any mercy right now. Even worse, Lebe and Max weren't faring much better, barely able to approach the Princess as her Demon constantly unleashed horde after horde of fighter and bomber drones; the horned Abyssal herself had stayed defensive so far despite her advantage, but a single swipe from those claws would be the end for the fragile destroyers. She had to end this, and fast!

Compromising to her earlier decision, she jumped back as soon as a gap appeared in her opponent's onslaught and lined up her cannons, firing a volley at his right arm; caught off guard by the sudden but inevitable use of firearms, the Admiral managed to evade 3 of the shots, the last striking against his forearm, tearing away the synthetic skin and revealing the steel armor and circuitry beneath. That explained his inhuman strength, the battleship thought.

The bearded man gave an uncaring glance at the minor damage on his prosthetic and dashed forward fists raised once more. Bismarck braced herself for yet another round, the battle was far from over.

* * *

The lights flickered on around him, dispelling the darkness. The first thing he noticed were the advanced equipment, far beyond what they had available upstairs; holographic displays and monitors, inactive cryo chambers, what appeared to be large computer servers and countless other machines he couldn't even guess were. Compared to the research facility above, this was like some alien mothership!

The second thing he noticed were the unexpected residents.

"…Faeries?"

About a dozen of the tiny humanoids were there, some ushering the released nanite swarm away into canisters, some watching live footage of the surface battle, and others sitting on chairs and equipment, observing the band of intruders who fell from the ceiling. Before what Harrison discerned to be the main control panel, the captain's chair swiveled around, revealing the mysterious speaker and her pet cat. Unlike traditional villainous masterminds however, the little faery was sitting on the white feline instead of stroking it.

"Yep, 'faeries', at least that's what we named ourselves in your planet's languages. Surprised? You should be, otherwise the others may be in a spot of trouble!" The captain faery petted her pet. "This is Elizabeth by the way, I got interested in these domestic felines after consulting your planet's internet and decided to get one. She's as adorable as all the images showed, but considerably inconsiderate at times!" *meow* "Oh stop now, I'll bring you some fish later alright?"

Harry was too occupied trying to process the very presence of the faeries to care about her explanation of the cat. "I…I don't understand, isn't your kind supposed to be fighting the Abyssals? Or was that all an elaborate lie to sabotage our military?" No wait, that didn't make sense, if they wanted to sabotage the humans they wouldn't teach us how to make Fleet Girls in the first place, so were these betrayers of their own kind just as he and his colleagues were to humanity? But then why were they hiding so deep in the base?

"I can see you have a lot of questions there Sir Harrison, understandably so. Well, since you're here, why don't you stay awhile and listen? I have a story to answer all your questions, it's only fair after what you and your colleagues have done for us."

* * *

"Our race once lived on Xanqueous, an aquatic planet many lightyears away from Earth. My name is Era, once High Empress of Calypso, one of the 4 Kingdoms. Unlike your race, we had achieved world peace many centuries ago, but unfortunately it was to be an external threat that became our undoing.

"The Abaroths had lost their home planet after their sun died out, and thus roamed the galaxy as space nomads, looking for a new place to call home, or so we were told. One of their colonies landed on our planet and requested sanctuary. Of course 'requested' was an extremely lenient way of putting it. For a band of 'space nomads' they sure had some jaw-droppingly advanced military technology, and they weren't exactly shy on showing them to our ambassadors. It wasn't a request, but an ultimatum, let them stay or they'll take over by force.

"With a lack of better options we gave the unexpected migrants the benefit of doubt and agreed to let them stay. Both our species were amphibious, but due to our incompatible size differences we allowed them to settle in the less populated lands instead of sharing in our cities. You see, they were about the size of what your kind would call 'dwarves', miniature by your standards, but to US they were giants. Either way, if we had any doubts about their civility they were quickly dispelled; the Abaroths were definitely greedy, violent miscreants. Within weeks they were demanding more resources, more land, and they were very disrespectful to our kind, very disrespectful indeed! But we had to tolerate and compromise as best we could, at least until we could develop our long neglected military technology to stand a chance in case of conflict.

"Well, they became impatient earlier than anticipated. After several years of preparations and intelligence gathering, those savages decided to do away with us entirely and take the entire planet for themselves. At the time we thought we could at least put up a fight, but the Abaroths had a secret weapon: an army of nanites capable of converting both creatures and machines into cybernetic lifeforms, living weaponry, and whatever they converted, they also enhanced by fusing the technology of our two races, sometimes creating things even beyond what the Abaroths originally had. Their most lethal feature however lay not in their firepower, but their regenerative ability. Excluding the few extremely rare cases where we were able to obliterate these constructs in one strike, they almost instantaneously recovered from any weapon we had at our disposal, not to mention their unnatural resistance to damage minimizing the effect of even our best explosives and energy weaponry.

"It'd be no surprise to me if these nanite-infused beings could actually be made indestructible, but the Abaroths weren't entirely ignorant, and left a weakness they could exploit in case of rebellion. The special black alloy which armored the cyborgs could also act as an inhibitor to the nanites' regenerative function, allowing weapons and ammunition made out of said alloy to do staying damage. Unfortunately for us, more advanced technology such as firearms using said alloy had a mysterious property we couldn't comprehend at the time: despite structurally functional, they refuse to activate, as if we were lacking some form of energy to power them, an energy only present in the Abaroths and their nanite-infused cyborgs. Yes we could use bows or blades forged from the material, but that wasn't exactly viable against enemies capable of generating energy barriers and firing ion cannons, sadly.

"In the end despite minor victories and successful capture of nanite samples, our last strongholds were overrun and those of us surviving were forced to flee into space, scattering amongst the cosmos. The other Kingdoms had fled in different directions than mine. Sometimes I wonder what became of these others…

"As for us, we traveled for many years, warp driving from one star system to another in search for hospitable planets. Aboard the ship we spent the time studying the samples of nanites we had captured, slowly learning what made them tick. Eventually we were able to hack their allegiance programming and deciphered other basic controls, soon before we discovered your planet. We would've stayed in orbit for a while longer and formally contacted your governments for a plead of sanctuary, except our mothership's engine failed after collision with one of your many satellites and we crashed through the atmosphere into your oceans.

"Us passengers had thankfully survived the landing with minor damage to the ship, but a breach allowed much of our nanites to leak into the open waters before we could repair the damage. Unbeknownst to us, these nanites began self-replicating and converting ship wreckages they found at the bottom of the sea, and before we knew it they had already begun self-reproduction protocols, attacking ships and humans for assimilation. Thus the 'Abyssals' were born.

"It was at this point that my people and I had a disagreement. Most of them wanted to aid the humans, who clearly lacked the technology and knowledge to face the nanite creatures, reigning in the Abyssals and co-existing with humans in harmony. Well, as you can see, I had…other, ideas.

"Now I'd like to clarify first before misunderstandings are made, I had nor have any intention to wipe out or enslave humanity! It's just that while I'm more than willing to co-exist with your species, I, well, simply don't TRUST your kind to do your part in maintaining balance and harmony! I'm sorry but you humans can barely get along with EACH OTHER, much less an alien race! It's really nothing personal, but if we're going to co-exist I'd much rather it be on OUR terms and governance! Of course it was highly unlikely your kind would simply agree to this decision, so a little force had to be applied to urge a surrender.

"Those of us wishing for peaceful integration left to aid the human military on their own. I let them go as they wished, they had the right to decide what to do with themselves, and so the rest of us remained here, converting our mothership and the other spacecrafts into functioning headquarters for the Abyss creatures, working in secret so you humans will trust the rebelled faeries, but as you can see, there aren't exactly a lot of us left, the ones you see now are all the faery staff here, and there's even fewer in the lesser bases…not much of an Empress anymore with only several dozen subjects worldwide, am I? Unless you count the Abyssals themselves I suppose. They take orders only from me and those I delegate authority to, so I suppose they do count.

"But back on topic, with ourselves greatly understaffed and the Abyssals none too bright, there was only so much we could do in terms of research, engineering and organizing the war effort at the same time. That was why I decided to hire you and your colleagues, brilliant minds and people neglected by society that we had great use for. Zero regrets there I must say! For that I assure you once more, you will all be rewarded vastly for your help, and once humanity surrenders authority to me, I will definitely lead both of our species to a bright prosperous future, just you wait and see!"

* * *

"So now here we are. Any ques-" *meow* "Alright, sorry, here, you can have some fish for not interrupting my story." One of the faeries lifted a fresh tuna to the cat, which chowed down on it satisfyingly. "Anyway as I was saying, any questions?"

"Not really, that explained much everything." Her one human audience shrugged. A lot of his questions had been answered, and it was quite a relief to know the commander of the Abyssal Fleet wasn't a madman hellbent on destruction at least.

"Wait, no questions on where your manmade Princess went?"

"I figured you just ordered her off, since you have complete control over the Abyssals afterall."

"It's not COMPLETE control but yes that's pretty much what I did. Smart man." Era looked bemused, losing her chance to brag about saving their lives from the rampaging Abyssal. "Well either way I'd appreciate if you keep what I just told you a secret, in case of unforeseen consequences to the human-affiliated faeries if word spreads. Now, there's an ongoing evacuation you want continued, no?"

"Wait, you're just letting us leave?"

"Why of course, just like with my former subjects, even more so in fact considering you mean my cause no harm! I dislike forcing people to do things unless it's an absolute must for the betterment of all parties you see. We will even arrange a new abode for you and your…adopted children. It's not like the rest of us are staying."

"What- Ah, I see." Even if they manage to fight off this siege, with their coordinates known it'll just be one onslaught after another. Better to evacuate to another base before the military resorts to nuking the entire place.

"Well, even if we manage to- aww." The faery empress was bemused once more for having her chance at exposition taken away again. "Ah let's just get to it. I've ordered some Abyssals on site to round up the other humans for evacuation. Mind carrying your friends over there to the teleporter before they wake up? I'd rather none of them see us, especially Madame Victoria, her experiments are a bit too…scientific for me."

* * *

Fear and loneliness were the first emotions she came to know.

She was one of the firsts, of the human-like weapons known as Fleet Girls. She couldn't remember anything of her past, not that she even knew there was anything to remember, so the naval crew were her only family, essentially. Well, it would've been a stretch to call them "family". She couldn't even get them to be her friend, for they couldn't see her as one of them, despite all she had done for them since her construction. Saved many lives that no one else could save, sunk many enemies that no one else could sink, one would think she'd be revered as a hero. That'd be too naïve, as she learnt. The humans respected her power, but also feared her for it. To them she was a weapon of great destruction that could potentially detonate at any time; they needed her, but they didn't like having her so close by. Always kept their distance, always, and being the one and only of her kind at the base, there was no one like herself to confide in at all.

So every day was the same routine. Get up alone, practice or sortie alone, have meals in a corner of the mess hall alone, bathe alone, go to sleep alone. No one would talk to her willingly beyond orders, some wouldn't even make eye contact. An isolated island amidst a bustling sea of activity, ignored.

One man however was different. They had met during her first ever international practice battle with other Fleet Girls, an Admiral Satoshi of another naval office. He had greeted her so warmly while crossing paths in the halls, even invited her to chat over a cup of tea, a gesture which while simple to others had meant the world to her after over half a year of neglect. For the first time in her memory she managed to have a conversation with a willing partner, and it felt so wonderful to have someone listen to her speak her heart out; the exciting sorties, overheard gossip, repressed emotions, everything she just wanted to share with someone, even though for what reason she couldn't say, just that she wanted to tell another person. Not only did she share her own stories, but also his: the interesting people he works with, the stress of his duty as an Admiral, his hopes and aspirations; and in listening to his tales, she almost felt as if she had gone through these experiences WITH him, and she would love to do so for real.

After more Fleet Girls were constructed, she was successfully transferred to Admiral Satoshi's naval base on his request. Afraid that the others may see her as a threat like her old crew, she even created a goofy persona so people would take her less seriously. Yet despite being with a much friendlier crew and even getting sister ships, all of whom she treasured from the bottom of her heart, none of their company she had preferred over the Admiral's. As they spent more and more time with each other, friendship soon sprouted into love, for her anyway. She believed the Admiral would definitely feel the same way for her, if only he wasn't so stressed and busy all the time. Naval duties such as sorties she would gladly take care of for him, and with her by his side he will never have to grieve for lost men ever again! But there was one other source of stress not so easily dealt with.

His freeloader of a daughter. The brat did nothing but take up space and money, the Admiral had even built a library just for her! He could've spent that money on a much-deserved vacation instead, but it went to the undeserving brat! Same went for her education fees and that damn expensive gaming computer! Time he could have spent resting were spent entertaining the little runt on field trips to the amusement park or museums! And what did the kid do for him in return? NOTHING! She didn't cook meals for him, she rarely even did the CHORES, the janitors deal with that for her! All she does is loiter around the library or play video games whenever she's not at school or taking up the Admiral's precious time and money with her stupid little gadgets made out of stolen resources! The brat was a burden on the Admiral and she had to be removed, for HIS sake!

She did what she could to accomplish that goal. Yes she may had resorted to some low methods but it was in her Satoshi's best interests! And voila, once she convinced him to dump the brat at a cheap boarding school the two of them became so happy and romantic! He finally had the money and time he worked so hard to earn for himself, yet he'd choose to spend it together with her instead, such a sweetheart! She loved him and he loved her, two ships supporting each other in dangerous seas, no longer the isolated island she once was! Once the war finally ends, they'll spend the rest of their days together, a properly married couple! That was why she jumped at the opportunity to help siege the enemy base to speed up the process. The last thing she expected was seeing HER there as well.

* * *

The battleship didn't have time to recount all the moments she had shared with her Admiral as her deadly duel with the half Fleet Girl continued. She ducked another shot while returning a salvo of cannon fire, none of which found their mark. As Sakuri had said, she lacked the physical strength and resistance of even a destroyer, a single successful strike from cannon or fist would be enough to kill her outright or at least destroy a limb, but her small frame and agility made up for her frailty. In comparison, Kongou had the endurance to survive multiple direct hits from an anti-tank rifle caliber firearm, but her slower speed and clunky cannon fit-out made her an easier target, allowing her opponent to land more frequent hits despite each dealing only minor damage. Still, the toll was starting to add up, the Fleet Girl could feel her body getting heavier and harder to control with each hit she took.

The vengeful daughter noticed this as well with glee, making a u-turn back straight towards the battleship to finish her off. Another salvo of cannon fire, another miss as the intended target jumps and flips over them. The girl was just showing off now, Kongou concluded, which meant she was extremely confident the match was hers. Far too confident! Speeding aside to avoid the incoming bayonet whirlwind strike, the Fleet Girl returned with a mean right hook, simultaneously followed by cannon fire underneath her fist where she thought the girl would duck. Instead she had used gunfire recoil and the thrusters on her shoes to negate forward momentum and jump backwards, evading both strikes before circling behind the battleship, slicing and carving in a mad whirl at her turret mounts. Kongou managed to ward her off again with a quick backhand, but 2 of the cannons were already damaged, leaving her with 4 left functioning.

"How does it feel, chucklenuts? Ya can't even TOUCH me!" Sakuri skied circles around the battered battleship, taunting. "Face it, you're gonna die alone at the bottom of the-" She suddenly lost her balance, skidding to a halt as she retched again, unnaturally dark blood spilling into the ocean. Too late did she even realize this was the opportunity her nemesis needed.

"ALL GUNS, FIRE!"

A pain-filled scream accompanied the splash of her severed leg hitting the water. The girl fell to her remaining knee, wincing at the gushing stump where her limb was. It was almost over. With victory assured, the battleship dashed forwards before launching herself high into the air, aiming to crash her fist down upon her supposedly defeated opponent. A fitting finisher, she thought. It was almost as glorious as a holy story, an angel descending from the heavens to punish the sinner, and soon the angel shall return to her loving god to spend eternity in each other's embrace.

Yet something wasn't right. Two revolvers sunk beneath the waves as the sinner whipped the sniper rifle out from behind. A demonic red aura radiated from the firearm and her hands, blazing crimson fog emanating from her right eye, a face no longer of anger or spite, there was no more room in her mind for that, but of resolve and determination to finish the job she dedicated her life to.

"SEE YOU IN HELL, BITCH!"

* * *

"Hang on, we're almost back to safety!" Kirishima struggled to support her two other sisters back behind the coalition fleet's frontline. Having continuously fought off waves and waves of enemy drones and the Abyssals themselves while towing the two heavy Fleet Girls had left her at her limit, though she would never admit to the later part in front of her rescued sisters.

"Haruna is sorry she became such a burden…"

"No don't say that, it was my fault for not including the sniper in my calculations! You did great, Haruna, I'm sure big sis has nothing but praise for you! But for now we need to get you to a repair crew!"

"K-Kongou onee-sama…is she…alright?"

"This is big sis we're talking about here Hiei, what do you think? Of course she'll be-"

It was at that moment that everyone across the battlefield could see a bright crimson beam launch all the way from the ocean into the sky with a thunderous resonating roar, parting the storm clouds above, a streak of brilliant red in the dull gray sky before it slowly thinned and dissipated away. Most others assumed it was just another attack from a Demon, but the three battleships instantly felt the truth within their hearts.

"…Let's keep going. For big sis' sake."

* * *

Water was filling her lungs, yet surprisingly she felt no pain, contrary to how terrible drowning's supposed to feel, from what she heard anyway.

The recoil from the blast had knocked the breath out of her and sent her deep beneath the surface, though that wasn't even taking into account the blood loss, her deteriorating body and spending every last ounce of energy into the last attack. She should already be dead 4 times over.

Still, it was worth it she supposed. Dumb git thought she'd won just because she got lucky, never expected THAT reversal! Not even sure there were any pieces left! If only she could see her stupid dad's face after hearing his waifu got completely owned by his abandoned daughter, but she couldn't have it all she supposed.

The depths of the ocean were…surprisingly warm actually, not at all cold and foreboding. Before she sunk into complete darkness, the last thing she saw was a layer of black goo creeping up from her fingers.

* * *

The German battleship only briefly acknowledged the laser streak on the other side of the island, too occupied in her own battle. She had resorted to breaking one restriction on herself, firing cannons at the enemy commander's limbs still in the hopes of a non-lethal takedown, but the situation had barely improved. Now that the man was prepared for ranged offenses, he became more defensive, nimbly evading shots until an opening appeared for him to close in for another barrage of fisticuffs. To some degree it was almost as if the man could read right through her, and it was both impressive and disturbing for Bismarck. For what it was worth, reserving strength became easier for her, though she was no closer to winning. Not that she had much strength to reserve by then, if she didn't do something to change things around soon…

"GAAHHH!"

A scream from her close friend was enough to break her concentration and turn around to check. A bomber had managed to land a hit on poor Lebe's back, knocking her to the water and exposing a terribly burned and bloodied wound. Max had also been distracted by her wounded ally, allowing a squad of fighter droids to riddle her legs with bullets. The Harbor Princess winced and looked away, covering her view with one of her massive claws, but if there was mercy to be found in the Princess' soul, there was none in her Demon's, and the drones swooped in for the kill.

"LEBE! MAX!" The battleship only just noticed the incoming gauntlet about to cave her skull in at the last second. There was no time to consciously react…but combat reflexes took over instead.

BOOM.

Hot crimson liquid splashed against her face. She could register a metallic taste as some found its way into her mouth. The event had left both the Princess and Demon in shock, confusing the drones and saving the two destroyers in the nick of time, but even the safety of her friends wasn't the first thing on Bismarck's mind at that moment.

"W-What…what have I done?"

* * *

He had heard the news from a sympathetic nurse, but by then it was far too late. Months had passed before he even awakened.

The media had said she volunteered to honor his sacrifice. The media was a liar. They had threatened to withhold medical support unless she signed the contract, that's what the nurse overheard. After everything he did, they were still hungry for more. So they manipulated her selflessness, forced her into it to save her father's life, no matter the risks involved. She must have thought he'd live a prosperous life afterwards at least, a hero's life, one she thought he deserved. She was naïve, and he had lived indeed, but at the cost of everything he was fighting for. He fought so hard against the invaders, gave so much, so that she could one day live in a peaceful world. He had focused too much on the outsiders, and did not see the enemies already around him.

He wasn't a religious man, but he prayed every day since hearing the news, praying for her health and safety. He escaped the hospital as soon as he could walk again, to look for his daughter, see what had become of her. Joy and relief upon seeing her from afar was replaced with a foreboding emptiness and anguish upon seeing her up close. Her eyes told the truth, they always did. The one standing before him was a slate wiped clean. Abigail, his Abigail, was gone.

They soon "diagnosed" him with severe PTSD and discharged him from his position. So he returned home, jobless and armless. But not aimless. He would take his daughter back from those snide schweinhunds no matter the cost, even if he had to sell his soul to the devil himself. Compared with that, working with the Abyssals wasn't even a hesitation. The prosthetic arm was just a nice plus.

* * *

He would've needed a lot more than a prosthetic arm to survive this one. The battleship held the Admiral in her arms, a gaping hole in his chest.

"You've grown strong, Abigail."

"Not at all, father dearest." A single tear rolled down her cheeks. "I've failed my comrades, my mission, and you."

"You've always blamed yourself too much. I was your enemy, and you did what you must to protect those who entrusted themselves to you. That was all that happened, and I'm proud of you for that."

"F-father…"

"Lady Darwin, as my last command as Admiral, I order this battleship and the two destroyers to be spared, and for you to return to headquarters to aid the wounded…understood?"

The Harbor Princess nodded solemnly, and even her Demon could only call back its drones with a disgruntled growl of mild protest. The Abyssal gave her Admiral and his daughter one final salute before diving back beneath the surface.

"So…this is it then, Abigail…continue to protect those you hold dear…with the bravery and resolve you've shown today…whatever the cost…that is all I have left to remind you…as a father…"

"I will heed your teachings with all my heart."

"Farewell…Abigail…"

Bismarck gave the Admiral one last embrace before gently laying him down on the water, saluting as his body slowly sunk beneath the waves.

"Farewell, father dearest."

She had not miraculously recovered any memories of her human life, but simply acted the role to give the dying man some peace of mind. Had he noticed and simply went along with it? She couldn't be sure. It had all come to her naturally enough, even calling him "father dearest", for reasons she had come to understand and accept. Father or not however, his parting words rang true with her heart. Wiping the tears and rainwater from her eyes, she picked up her wounded comrades and sped away under the thinning storm, shafts of golden light piercing the gray clouds, revealing the beautiful yet saddening sunset.

* * *

Den awoke to find herself lying on a thin mattress. Pushing off the soft covers, she quickly surveyed her surroundings. Miss Tenryuu and the others were there with her, some awake doing their own thing, some still unconscious. Even the others who weren't at the rampaging Nagato incident were there, such as the engineers and the Admirals. Tatsuta had also brought the surviving submarines and the other chimeras, bandaged up, some in casts. Even Noel and Tannah were there, still totally out cold. They were all tightly packed into what seemed to be a submarine (non-Fleet Girl variety, of course); had Mr. Harrison successfully organized the escape? How had they gotten out of the pit? What had happened while she was knocked out?

As if to answer her questions, though they didn't actually do so for awhile, Harrison and Alexandrea climbed down from the hatch. "Alright everyone, orders have been sent out and the escort team is waiting, time to move out!" The female Admiral declared.

"Hey wait, what about Sakuri and Anton?" Trales asked innocently. The researchers knew little of the two, but their fellow engineers and Admirals simply gave a moment of solemn silence.

"They're…not going to be coming along." Alexandrea tipped her hat, hiding her eyes.

"Wha? Wh-"

"Just be quiet, sweetie. Now's not the time." Noticing the rest's reaction, even Vicky and the other researchers had quickly caught on to the summary, if not the details.

"Right then." Recovering from her brief moment of grieve, the female commander continued her task. "The general escape plan is as follows."

* * *

After a few more hours and the appearance of Light Cruiser Mechs along with the Ironbottom Sound Princess (the military weren't very creative with their naming) and her lobster-like Demon, the heavily diminished coalition force began a retreat to regroup and treat their vast amounts of wounded. Contrary to what they expected, the Abyssals didn't give chase, but began their own mass retreat, escorting the wounded and salvageable corpses out in groups. Lacking the forces to intercept them properly, the Fleet Girls could only let them get away, chalking it up as a tactical victory as they still succeeded in taking the base itself. At least, they thought so until the base self-destruct after the Abyssals' full retreat. Barely anything left was salvageable.

A distress signal was soon received from a nearby island. The respondents found and rescued the survivors of the air and sea infiltration squads, who briefed them in turn of what they'd discovered, though the whereabouts of the escapees were unknown to them.

As for the Chimeras and humans, it was guessed that they had traveled to one of the other bases to continue their work, though no one but the Abyssals and themselves knew for sure what shenanigans they were up to next. Whatever it would be, it'd probably mean more trouble for the Fleet Girls and humanity, but that is a tale for another time.

Or is it?

* * *

**Author's Note – This is not really the last chapter, there is still one more. What is it about? You'll just have to wait and see!**


	11. Epilogue - New beginnings

Log Entry 30 – 15/10/20XX

Yet another day with little to do. If this is the retired life, I'd like to retire from retirement.

I suppose there's not much to logically complain about. This new house (calling it a resort would be more accurate) is more than most people on the planet could ever hope to afford, much less be given to them for free. There aren't any more cash problems, the kids are happy, Den has all the peace she ever wanted, and life's as comfy as it can get. The lack of activity and excitement though is getting unbearable, and I'm not the only one who shares this sentiment, Recette has been growing restless for one, no doubt she misses the excitement of combat.

Perhaps I'll sign back up on the research team again, life was decently eventful at the base at least. Been keeping in touch with the guys, Vicky just borrowed Verniy and Dawn again for her tests the other day. Maybe I can work part-time or something? I'm sure the kids can take care of themselves just fine on their own for a few days a week. Heck, Rai may even get to play the "mother" role she loves so much, provided she doesn't insist on following me to work again.

Lately I've also been wondering about Charlotte and Kirsten; now that the battle on the land front has begun, even they might not be safe where they live. Perhaps I can convince the wife to bring them here now that I'm rich enough? No, wait, there's also the matter of education. Well it doesn't hurt to give them a phone call, see how they're doing. Thinking back on it it's been over a year since I've last seen their faces or heard their voices; hard to believe the time I've spent working for the Abyssals up to this point has only been around half that, despite all that's happened. The presence of the Chimeras dull the longing, but I do miss them so.

That's decided then, I'll give both the wife and Vicky a call tomorrow, see what happens. For now it's almost time for our little sunset fishing trip, I just hope Rai and Recette can keep themselves from jumping into the ocean themselves out of impatience, that just defeats the purpose.

* * *

"Hello, father dearest. I wonder if you can hear me from wherever you are?"

A lone Fleet Girl lay down a bundle of flowers by a grave on a cliffside overlooking the vast ocean.

"I still don't remember the times we supposedly had together, but after our encounter I could feel within myself those times did exist, and that's enough for me right now. Hope you'll be happy to know your efforts were not in vain, even if you can't have me by your side again."

The blonde battleship sat down, resting her back against the tombstone while looking out at the golden sky and sea created by the setting sun.

"In the end the Abyssals won the naval war, even after the setback caused by the siege. Thinking back on it, I suppose it was an inevitability. They were more advanced, especially with the aid of your scientist and engineer colleagues, and of course there was their immortality, for every three we sunk they could salvage and resurrect at least two, while for us not only can we not be revived, but we become one of them after death instead. Not very good odds, were they?

"The counter-attack came a few months after the siege, bringing dozens of Chimeras and Princesses to our major Guardian Offices along with massive fleets, outnumbering our defenses by a long shot even with the remaining Big 7 members. The naval base I was stationed at was the one with least casualties during the initial wave of assaults by the way. It was due to a spectacular team effort from everyone of course, but I'd like to think I had the most to do with it. It's alright, you can praise me more. *sigh* Just kidding, of course. Despite our best efforts, in the end we were all tased into submission by the Modified Re-classes. Strangely they didn't seem to be the Raiden Sisters we saw during the briefing. Maybe they just made more and sent the original Sisters elsewhere.

"With most of the world's coastal cities under Abyssal control and the rest of us Fleet Girls captured, the land and air battles have begun. Already there are plane and tank versions of us, I think they call the air ones…something Witches, not sure about the land ones, fighting against air and land Abyssals. So far the humans are having an advantage since the Abyssals seem out of their element outside of the ocean, but I doubt it'll stay that way for long with your colleagues present.

"Right now the other Fleet Girls and I are imprisoned in a few underwater prisons, just like the old Ironbottom Sound base, that way we'll drown if we try to escape, though they let me up here to visit. Thankfully it doesn't seem they have any intention of converting us for now. We're looked after well enough I suppose, though security is very tight, I'm not even sure there are exits to the surface beyond using metal submarines and Wa-class transport ships since there's no human staff. Still, best be prepared in case something happens and I must fight to protect my comrades once more.

"I never told the others the truth about their pasts by the way. Perhaps it's better they don't realize they once lived as humans, with human families and friends who they'll likely never remember but try to seek out anyway. Knowing we're fighting our fallen comrades is already bad enough, much less even more past attachments. What would you do, father dearest? Would you tell them or not?"

Bismarck sighed and closed her eyes, allowing herself to rest silently for a few minutes, hoping to hear an answer from the great beyond, until the wardens came to check on her.

"…Time's almost up, it seems. I'll visit again when I get the chance. Rest well, father dearest."

* * *

Dear Commander Okada,

It's me, Inazuma nanodesu. How've you been? I was so glad to have heard you survived the counter-attack! I got ahold of your e-mail address lately. Please don't ask me how.

Even though the naval war has ended, the fighting still seems far from over, huh. You're now in control of a land battalion, right? How different are those new Tank Maidens from us? There isn't much information on the internet yet, though that's to be expected I guess, it'd be too careless if your enemies could just google all of your weapons' capabilities!

I hope you're not too worried about Miss Tenryuu and the others who were captured, they're currently kept within some prisons at the bottom of the ocean. All of the ones under your charge are currently kept together in the same prison. They're a little disgruntled and forlorn being defeated and locked up but they're all safe and sound, don't worry!

As for the 6thDesDiv and I, we've been given a comfy tropical island resort to live in! Satsuki's here too, and Harry's still taking care of us. For now we've been "retired" off the active fleet, though we still act as wardens for the prison Miss Tenryuu and the others are in. Sorry but I can't tell you where they are, though I can assure you we've been taking very good care of them! We've been decorating the place to look like a Guardian Office, make them feel more at home. Ika even made a cardboard cut-out of you for the commander's office, but I'm not sure it's helping much.

Well, long as the fighting's still going on, be sure to stay safe okay? I'm still waiting for you to visit us after the war! Hibiki's tropical fruit punch is absolutely delicious, so you have that to look forward to! Hopefully many of your new subordinates will survive too, maybe they can come along as well? I'd love to meet them! Take care of them like you took care of us, okay?

Ah, I almost forgot we were going on a fishing trip today, so I'll have to end this here. If you have a message for Miss Tenryuu and the others, just send it to me and I'll be sure to give it to them. Hope to hear from you again as soon as possible!

Your secretary ship,

Inazuma

* * *

"Wait, Noel's marrying WHO?"

"Tannah, the Ta-class he was with during the siege. Unlikely couple, I know, but I guess having a common enemy back then kindled something in them? Anyway how do you NOT know this, sis? It's been the talk of the base for a week now! Rithe's been posting news of it non-stop on the papers even!"

"Oh I'm sorry for not wasting time listening to gossip, I've been too busy doing SCIENCE unlike some people."

Victoria took the can of coffee from Rick and took a big swig from it before shouting down from the observation room.

"Alright Dawn, you ready down there?"

"A true lady is always ready!"

"Just don't break the specimen okay? It's been a pain in the ass to catch any of them alive ever since the military started strapping bombs to the new ones in case of capture. Hopefully the EMP cannon the engineers are developing will solve that, but for now just be careful."

The gates opened with the push of a button, letting a short-haired blonde into the test chamber, wielding equipment similar to the Fleet Girls, but reminiscent of tanks instead of ships.

"Oi, where am I? Let me out of here you scoundrels! Hey what the-"

Within seconds the girl had already been wrapped up by invisible squid tentacles and at the Chimera's mercy and whimsy.

"This…really isn't much of a combat test, is it, sis?"

"Well it proves the Krakens are effective even on land I suppose. We'd need more specimens to judge effectiveness in actual combat situations. Ah but the sheer amount of possibilities for land and air Chimeras! The Phoenixes are only the beginning, we can create so much more! Maybe bats for sonar? Cheetahs for speed?"

"Centaurs?"

"Oh please, that's so basic, we could probably make Pegasus unicorns or something with the proper mix! Actually that's a great idea, we should get right on that!"

"Pegasus unicorns? Why?"

"Why not?"

Rick sighed again. His older sister hasn't changed one bit even after almost getting herself and everyone else killed with the Nagato incident. Still, if they could survive a rampaging giant lobster war machine, a Pegasus unicorn shouldn't be any problem.

"What of the replacements?"

"Who?"

"The replacements for Anton, Sakuri and Harry, since the first two are dead and the last has pretty much retired to look after the Gen 2 Chimera prototypes. Last to come, first to go, bunch of slackers."

"I don't think they count as slackers if they're dead, sis. As for the replacements, they should be arriving next week. Wonder what kind of people they'll be?"

"Long as they're competent I don't care too much. Alright, while Dawn's still…busy, let's get started with the aerial combat test! So much SCIENCE to do, so little time!"

* * *

An Abyssal lay down on the beach of an island, looking up at the fiery orange sky, long black hair sprawled out on the sands. Yet another day of not finding anyone, not that she knew who she was looking for. She had awoken a few weeks ago on the ocean floor, alone except for the fishes and three guns, a pair of revolvers and a sniper rifle, which felt familiar for reasons unknown to her. After a bit of exploring she had located the island as well as what appeared to be the wreckage of an underwater military base, again all of which felt familiar. Since then she had stayed within a conveniently placed abandoned mansion on the island, traveling out each day in search of other people, returning at the end for food and shelter.

Who and what was she, she wondered. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered being something other than this, and having avenged some kind of grudge, but not much else, not even her own name beyond it being something that starts with S. Did her past matter? She wasn't sure, but what did matter was finding someone else soon, someone like her, hopefully with all the answers she wanted. Maybe she should pack up some extra provisions for a longer journey, though the last thing she needed was getting lost and not being able to make her way back. Not like there were any better ideas, so she may as well do it.

For now however she'll just rest up to her hearts content, and take her time preparing for what should be a great adventure! With that thought in mind the girl yawned and dozed off with a smile on her face to the sounds of crashing waves and the salty sea breeze.

* * *

The End, for now.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you for staying through to the end of this story! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! For the time being the story has ended, though I may add a few short stories detailing minor events skipped through in the story and after the epilogue. I'll mostly be focusing on drawing captions for the story, which will be posted on my DeviantArt (DA ID: 0332288) when they're done, as well as schoolwork since the summer holiday has finally come to an end. Thanks again for sticking through my first fan fiction and good bye for now!

Edit: First illustration is completed! You can find it and all future illustrations here: 0332288 .deviantart .moc/gallery/50990189/Abyssal-Diaries (chance moc to com and remove spaces)


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